Centre for Road Safety

  1. NSW Centre for Road Safety
  2. About the Centre
  3. Achievements

Achievements

We develop campaigns to improve road safety in NSW. School children, pedestrians, learner drivers and motorcyclists are some of the road users to benefit from our initiatives.

Positive progress

2018

Our efforts to improve road safety include:

2017

  • The release of the NSW Road Safety Progress Report 2016.
  • Stop it...Or cop it to support police operations across NSW by reinforcing the message that police can catch drivers anywhere and at any time for breaking the road rules.
  • Saving Lives on Country Roads, which encourages country drivers to challenge the everyday excuses used to justify unsafe behaviour on the road. More than 70 per cent of fatal crashes on country roads involve country residents.
  • Important changes to the Graduated Licensing Scheme to improve the safety of young drivers on our roads.
  • The 2017-18 Buyer's Guide to Used Car Safety Ratings, showing how well each vehicle protects the driver from death or serious injury in a crash. Always choose a used car with the highest safety rating, and make sure it is fitted with as many safety features as possible for that model.
  • Be Truck Aware highlights the importance of taking extra care around trucks, especially if you live, work or travel in Sydney.
  • The third round of our Community Road Safety Grants, allowing successful community groups across NSW to deliver local road safety projects.
  • The Motorcycle Safety Action Plan 2017-2019, highlighting the main items that will improve motorcycling safety over the next three years.
  • The Slow down to 40 when bus lights flash bus safety campaign, to warn drivers when buses are picking up or setting down schoolchildren.
  • Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Road Trauma Report, 2005-2015 provides information on safety issues for Aboriginal road users, with a focus on serious injuries and fatalities.
  • Reverse autonomous emergency braking, anti jack-knife braking and rollover side curtain airbags are some of the advanced safety systems featured in our new Safety Technologies for Heavy Vehicles and Combinations publication.
  • Safety advice for driving in wet and icy conditions, plus our vehicle tyre safety tips.
  • The third round of our Community Road Safety Grants, allowing community groups across NSW the opportunity to apply for funding to deliver local safety projects.
  • New serious injuries counters on the CRS homepage and statistics, which show 12-month comparison figures for the most recent serious injuries data available.
  • The development of the Road Safety Plan 2021 to position NSW to work towards a longer-term aspirational goal of a zero road toll to support the Future Transport strategy, which is being developed this year to establish a 40-year vision for transport in NSW.
  • The Restraint Fitters Manual to assist restraint fitters accredited under the Roads and Maritime Services Authorised Restraint Fitting Station Scheme in the correct installation and use of child car seats.
  • The 2016 speed camera review, which shows that speed cameras continue to deliver positive road safety benefits, helping to reduce fatal crashes and injury crashes at camera locations.
  • Our Serious Injuries in NSW, 2005 to 2015 report explains how our data is collected and analysed, and provides detailed injury statistics over an eleven-year period.
  • Building our partnership with the Western Sydney Wanderers, encouraging drivers to slow down with Towards Zero and Who Do You Slow Down For? messages on social media and YouTube.
  • Advice for choosing locations of informal school bus stops to help identify important road safety factors for those involved in selecting or reviewing informal school bus stops.

2016

  • A $5 million infrastructure program on local roads to improve pedestrian safety around schools.
  • Publication of quarterly updates to analyse and track trends in serious injuries.
  • Partnering with The Wiggles on a catchy song for young children and families to sing and share the three simple steps for using seatbelts or child car seats.
  • Look Out Before You Step Out, our campaign to improve pedestrian safety, particularly on higher risk urban roads. The campaign includes upgrades to pedestrian safety infrastructure, changes to traffic signal timing to protect pedestrians from turning cars, more high pedestrian activity 40km/h speed zones, pedestrian countdown timers and trials of in-ground lights as an added warning when crossing the road.
  • The Used Car Safety Ratings 2016-17 Buyers Guide to help you find second-hand vehicles with the best safety features.
  • Changes to the Graduated Licensing Scheme for learner, P1 and P2 drivers will better prepare them for real-world road hazards to reduce serious injuries and deaths on the road.
  • The NSW Road Safety Progress Report 2014/15, presented to Parliament as part of the NSW Government’s long-term commitment road safety under the NSW Road Safety Strategy.
  • The redesigned Safety Town website, with digital and non-digital teaching and learning activities to support road safety education from Kindergarten to Year 6 in NSW primary schools.
  • The Slow Down campaign encouraging drivers to reduce their speed so they have time to stop if something unexpected happens on the road.
  • The second round of our Community Road Safety Grants, where community groups could apply for smaller road safety projects up to $5000 or larger projects up to $30,000.
  • The Towards Zero campaign to highlight the human element of the road toll and encourage all road users to change the way they think about road safety.
  • Making more city streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists with the expansion of the Sydney CBD 40km/h speed limit area.
  • Ensuring that all schools in NSW now have at least one set of school zone flashing lights to warn drivers to slow down around schools and improve safety for students.

2015

  • The Go Together campaign to help drivers, bicycle riders and pedestrians understand the new laws being introduced to encourage everyone to respect each other’s space and Go Together safely.
  • The 2015 speed camera review, which shows that speed cameras continue to deliver positive road safety benefits.
  • Our MDT campaign warns drivers that NSW Police can test them for drugs anytime, anywhere, there’s no escaping it.
  • To encourage drivers to get their hand off it, from this Christmas holiday period, double demerits will apply to mobile phone offences.
  • Our partnership with the Western Sydney Wanderers Football Club to help tackle speeding, the biggest killer on our roads.
  • The Be Bus Aware campaign featuring Bus Safety Week, highlighting the importance of bus safety for all road users. Buses are large, heavy vehicles and can’t stop quickly
  • Publishing serious injury data that has not previously been available, enabling us to better research and analyse road trauma to help reduce serious injuries.
  • Our latest Get Your Hand Off It campaign, which has been extended to highlight the serious consequences of using your mobile phone illegally while driving.
  • Our sponsorship of the NSW Blues, with the Plan B Regional Bash promoting the Plan B campaign to a wider audience across NSW regional areas.
  • The Safer Drivers Course video starring Greater Western Sydney Giants Academy players, showing how the course helps learner drivers graduate to their P-plates.
  • The Buyer’s Guide to Used Car Safety Ratings 2015-16 to help identify safer second-hand models, while our crash test videos show how a safer car could save your life in a crash.
  • Our FleetCAT trial of collision avoidance technology systems in the NSW state vehicle fleet, where audio and visual alerts will warn drivers of potential crashes.
  • The installation of pedestrian countdown timers at 29 busy intersections across NSW to help pedestrians cross safely within the allotted time.
  • On the move, our online road safety education resource for secondary schools, developed as part of the NSW Road Safety Education Program, a partnership between Transport for NSW, the Department of Education and Communities, Catholic Education Commission and Association of Independent Schools of NSW.
  • The NSW Road Safety Progress Report 2013/14, presented to Parliament as part of the NSW Government’s long-term commitment road safety under the NSW Road Safety Strategy.
  • The Sydney Swans videos that show how easily it is to be distracted when you use your mobile phone and the risks drivers face.
  • The naturalistic driving study where cameras and sensors will be installed in about 360 vehicles to help develop new ways to prevent crashes.
  • The report on the safety benefits of new Crash avoidance technologies in heavy vehicles by the Monash University Accident Research Centre commissioned by the Vehicle Safety Research Group.
  • It's a two-way street, produced in partnership with the Amy Gillett Foundation. Our animation takes drivers and riders back to basics, urging them to follow the rules and show mutual consideration and respect.
  • On the road 65Plus, with advice and safety tips for people in our community aged 65 or over to help them stay independent and safe.
  • The new alcohol interlock laws, where NSW drivers convicted of high range, repeat or other serious drink driving offences face court orders to fit alcohol interlock devices to their vehicles.
  • 20,000 young drivers completing the Safer Drivers Course, which teaches learner drivers how to manage risks on the road and stay safe when they graduate to their P-plates.

2014

  • Our Helmet safety video for children featuring Greater Western Sydney Giants co-captain Callan Ward.
  • The Community Road Safety Grants program, allowing community groups the opportunity to deliver localised road safety projects of up to $5000. There are also larger grants of up to $30,000 available.
  • The NSW Aboriginal Road Safety Action Plan 2014-2017 to support Aboriginal communities. It features free access to the Safer Drivers Course, the continuation of successful driver licensing access programs and training on the safe installation of child car seats.
  • “How sorry will you be?”, continuing the Don’t Rush campaign, featuring Dr Brian Owler, president of the Australian Medical Association. If you’re in a car with a speeding driver, speak up and tell them to slow down – you may never get a second chance to.

  • Our trial of pedestrian countdown timers at six Sydney intersections to find if they improve pedestrian safety and whether we should use them in selected high-pedestrian areas.

  • Ride to Live, the campaign that gets to the heart of what keeps motorcyclists safe: making good decisions. The campaign gives riders useful information about the risks they face on the road and how they can best manage them. The Ride to Live website features hazard tests and tips on a wide range of topics, such as braking distances and selecting the right helmet and protective gear.

  • They're counting on you with our driveway safety video featuring Scott Cam. The campaign also encourages the correct use of child car seats.
  • Our Double Demerits Think Twice road safety campaign to encourage safe driver behaviour on our roads. The campaign reminds drivers and riders that on long weekends and during other double demerit periods the consequences for breaking the road rules are more severe.
  • The 2014 speed camera review, which shows that speed cameras continue to deliver positive road safety benefits.
  • The release of the 2014-15 Buyers Guide to Used Car Safety Ratings, helping buyers to find the safest models.
  • The 40 km/h speed limit in the Sydney CBD to improve safety for the high volume of pedestrians in the busy city centre.
  • New guidelines on the types of bull bars that are allowed on NSW roads, reducing the dangers posed to pedestrians and other road users.
  • A ban on all petrol-powered bicycles in NSW. From 1 October 2014, all petrol-powered bicycles will be banned on NSW roads and road-related areas such as footpaths, shared paths, cycle ways and cycle paths Petrol-powered bikes are unsafe and put their riders and other road users at risk.
  • New research and data collection on drug driving, which shows it has become a serious safety problem. Between 2010 and 2013, about 166 people died on NSW roads in crashes involving drivers or riders with at least one of three illegal drugs – cannabis, speed or ecstasy – in their systems
  • Our P1/P2 vehicle search where P-plate drivers can quickly find the types of vehicles they are allowed to drive.
  • The decision by the NSW Government to legalise motorcycle lane filtering, based on the findings of the Centre’s 2013 trial in Sydney’s CBD.
  • New alcohol interlock laws for NSW drivers convicted of serious and repeat drink driving offences. New laws will start on 1 February 2015 and include a requirement for offenders to fit alcohol interlock devices to their vehicles.
  • Our new Safety around schools guide, with information for principals, parents and school communities.
  • The launch of our Pedestrian Safety Action Plan and Cycling Safety Action Plan, developed using our road safety research and data to help reduce deaths and serious injuries.
  • The launch of Safety Town, an online road safety resource available to more than 2600 primary schools across the state. AFL player and Australian of the Year Adam Goodes supports the Safety Town program for schools and families.
  • The Appin Road Safety Review, with analysis of the busy link between the Illawarra and South Western Sydney, where about $850,000 will be spent on road safety improvements.
  • The Speed Adviser smartphone app, designed to reduce speeding and save lives, with free access to accurate speed zone information and warnings covering the NSW road network.
  • Workshops for the revised Local Government Road Safety program, allowing local councils to plan long term initiatives using the Safe Systems approach to road safety.
  • The annual Road Rules Awareness Week, with the release this year of animated videos to help explain some of the most misunderstood road rules.
  • The first Road Safety Progress Report, presented to Parliament as part of the NSW Government’s long-term commitment road safety under the NSW Road Safety Strategy.

2013

Our initiatives included:

  • Don't trust your tired self, a campaign to reduce fatigue-related crashes, one of the three big killers on NSW roads, with tips for drivers, an online test and television commercials.
  • Targeted road safety projects to improve road safety infrastructure for motorcyclists and pedestrians, as part of the Safer Roads Program.
  • Brake assessment for modified vehicles, with new videos and supporting manual to show how braking system modifications can be assessed to meet legislated vehicle standards.
  • The Don't Rush initiative was extended with a new TV campaign showing how more lives would be lost if there were no speed cameras.
  • It's a two-way street, the Amy Gillett Foundation campaign that we support to improve the relationship between bike riders and drivers, and reduce cyclist fatalities and serious injuries.
  • The Oxley Highway route safety review, from the Pacific Highway at Port Macquarie through to its junction with the Mitchell Highway at Nevertire.
  • The Making Roads More Motorcycle Friendly guide, written for those who design, build or maintain roads. It focuses on the safety needs of motorcyclists and delivers recommendations made in the Motorcycle Safety Strategy.
  • A $5m national pilot to assess electronic work diaries for heavy vehicle drivers. The written work diaries currently required by law to be used by many truck and bus drivers were replaced with electronic versions.
  • The Get Your Hand Off It campaign, featuring cheeky YouTube videos and a TV advertisement targeting the dangers of drivers distracted by illegal mobile phone use.
  • The 2013 speed camera review, with results from 96 fixed speed camera locations showing that overall, there was a 42 per cent reduction in the number of crashes, a 90 per cent reduction in fatalities and a 41 per cent reduction in injuries.
  • The CBD Motorcycle Response Team to improve traffic flow and pedestrian safety around busy CBD intersections. A new Parramatta Motorcycle Response Team was established soon after to target local hot spots and improve traffic flow on roads such as the Great Western Highway and Victoria Road.
  • The Restricted P1 Provisional licence pilot, allowing learner drivers in selected areas west of the Newell Highway the opportunity to drive to work, education and medical related appointments.
  • An Older Driver Taskforce to review licensing and testing arrangements for older motorists.