Safety is a key outcome of our transport system that planners and policy makers are trying to improve, ultimately to reach Vision Zero – no fatalities on our roads. With about four fatalities per day and many times more serious injuries on Australia’s roads, there is still progress to be made.

At VLC we’ve focused on transport modelling and planning to cater for increased car, truck and bus traffic as a result of population and economic growth. Our models use benchmark crash rates based on the road hierarchy, speed and volumes. With a focus on continuous improvement, we’re looking to better forecast the safety impacts of road network changes. The leading global approach is advocated by the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), a charitable organisation that promotes the improvement of road safety and better quality roads for the public benefit. VLC was thrilled to have an excellent workshop recently with Rob McInerney, the CEO of iRAP, to explore this possibility. iRAP has a rich evidence-base from which it calculates safety ratings. With our transport models, we hope to provide the data required so that future scenarios can be tested. We are now busy working to find a way to forecast the road safety impact of transportation projects.