Road Safety

Federal Black Spot Program

The aim of the Black Spot Program is to reduce crashes and fatalities on Australian roads by identifying and rectifying the troublesome road conditions.

Each year, road fatalities and crashes impose a major cost to Australians. The Black Spot program targets road locations where crashes are continuously occurring or have a high potential to occur and rectify the situation by putting in place measures such as traffic signals, roundabouts, road widening, etc.

Black spot funding is allocated to councils through an application process. The two main eligibility criteria are:

• For individual sites such as intersections, mid-blocks or short road sections, there has to be a history of at least three casualty crashes over a five-year period. For lengths of road, there must be and average of 0.2 casualty crashes per kilometre of length in question over five years.
• Road locations which could be considered ‘accidents waiting to happen’. A road safety audit would need to have been conducted finding remedial work necessary.

From here the Black Spot Consultative Panel reviews the applications and determines which have a greater importance. The Federal Government has extended the Black Spot Program until 2014.

For more information on the Black Spot Program, click here

NT Road Safety Coordination Group

In 2006 the Northern Territory Government established the Road Safety Taskforce to develop initiatives to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on Territory roads. The review outlined 21 recommendations to shift the Northern Territory’s relaxed attitude to road use.

Included in these recommendations was to approve the establishment of the Road Safety Coordination Group (RSCG) to replace the Road Safety Council.

The role of the RSCG is to provide strategic advice on road safety to the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Police, Fire and Emergency Services. The RSCG is responsible for the development of a road safety strategy and the implementation of road safety reform in the NT.

The RSCG meets approximately four times per year and comprises of members from:

• Department of Planning and Infrastructure
• Department of Health and Families
• Department of Justice
• Department of Education and Training
• NT Police
• Territory Insurance Office
• Automobile Association of the NT
• Local Government Association of the NT
• The George Institute for International Health

LGANT’s representatives for the RSCG is Peter McLinden (LGANT), Ald Liz Martin (Alice Springs Town Council) and Ald John Bailey (Darwin City Council).

DriveSafe NT

In 2008 as part of Northern Territory Governments election commitments, the government announced that it would introduce a new road safety initiative. This initiative included the review of the NT’s innovative Driver Training and Licensing (DTAL) program and replacing it with a new program to be called “DriveSafe NT”.

This comprehensive driver education and training program will provide new drivers throughout the Territory the opportunity to develop the appropriate knowledge and skills to drive safely.

A steering committee has been formed to get DriveSafe NT operational with representatives from:

• George Institute for International Health
• Northern Territory Police
• Department of Planning and Infrastructure (MVR)
• Department of Education and Training
• Australian Automobile Association of the Northern Territory
• Territory Insurance Office (TIO)
• Local Government Association of the Northern Territory
• Rider Awareness Northern Territory
• Motor Trades Association (NT)
• Australian Driver Training Association
• Northern Territory Driver Training Association

Guidelines for Road Safety Around Schools

What are the Guidelines?

These guidelines are produced for the express purpose of enhancing the safety of children travelling to, from and around schools by:

• providing information on many of the major road safety issues involved
• providing information on how best to maintain or improve road safety for children travelling to and from schools as well as advising where further assistance might be obtained
• providing answers to commonly asked questions about road safety issues around schools.

Who are they for?

The guidelines have been designed to be used by local road authorities, teachers and school staff, school councils, school road safety committee members, school occupational health and safety committee members and other interested community members. Interested parties are guided through a range of education, encouragement, environmental and engineering strategies that can contribute towards a safer school transport environment.

The guidelines are made up of the following parts

1. Background, roles and responsibilities
2. Road Safety Problems and solutions
3. Remote communities
4. Resources for schools
5. Useful resources and references

 For a copy of the guidelines click: Guidelines for Road Safety Around Schools