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Secrets to a Successful Road Safety Management Program
To develop an efficient and successful traffic crash reduction program, it is essential to adopt a broad and multifaceted approach that addresses the root cause and promotes preventive and safe behaviors.
Much has been said about the need for education, engineering, and enforcement, but experience and practice have shown that this ecosystem is much more complex than it seems. Therefore, traffic safety development countermeasures must be approached in a global, systemic, and comprehensive manner.
Our goal is not only to highlight the key points of a road safety program but, more importantly, to shed light on those within the immediate reach of managers in companies that use motor vehicles as a benefit or tool of trade.
I often wonder why people would not accept a “somewhat safe trip” on a plane, train, or ship, yet they admit or even cause high-risk situations while driving or riding in a motor vehicle. This is a cultural and behavioral issue that can be addressed with road safety principles.
In this brief reflection, we also shine a light on the responsibility of public authorities, emphasizing the need for improvement to roadway infrastructure, enhanced traffic enforcement, and other actions that will ensure a safer road environment for motor vehicles as well as people, thus ensuring the physical integrity of all road users and promoting economic development.
Below are some actions that contribute to a successful road safety management program:
Obedience to Traffic Laws
Public authorities and society are responsible for implementing and enforcing strict traffic laws and ensuring effective road monitoring using all available technologies to deter risky driving behaviors.
The feeling of impunity is one of the main reasons for various moving violations. In some countries, traffic crimes are treated as mere “violations”. However, failure to comply with traffic laws must be penalized fairly and effectively to ensure their educational and preventive purpose.
Data Management
Detailed data management on critical traffic events is crucial, including indicators that highlight regions, causes, times, road conditions, profiles of those involved, and other factors that can help identify areas that need to be addressed and corrected.
Data analysis is effective in identifying areas with a high incidence of traffic events and common patterns, such as weather conditions, as well as categorizing crash causation, like speeding, driving while impaired or under the influence, infrastructure failures, or inappropriate roadway user behavior.
From this perspective, we can identify two types of managers: those who manage and make decisions based on data and those who act on intuition.
Setting Goals
Establishing metrics to assess current trends and measure progress in traffic crash management, as well as assigning responsibility for processes, is essential. Defining clear objectives is a critical step in this journey.
Objectives should be realistic and aligned with the specific circumstances to ensure gradual and continuous improvement in the process. This paves the way toward achieving a more consistent scenario, increasing the likelihood of success in reaching the desired target.
Education and Training
Targeted training focused on the specific needs of drivers and other road users is a key agent of change in the entire process. Education combined with repetition has the power to transform habits, improve behaviors, and consequently, provide drivers and road users with greater confidence and peace of mind.
Training not only enhances the skills, competencies, and knowledge of drivers but also helps foster a safer and more responsible traffic culture, while significantly reducing the number of crashes. By integrating different modes of mobility, education also promotes a better understanding of driving rules and the importance of adopting responsible attitudes on the road.
Well-structured training programs teach participants to avoid risky behaviors, such as speeding, using cell phones or other distractions while driving, and driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. These programs also prepare participants to respond correctly in emergency situations that may require a sudden braking maneuver, quick obstacle avoidance, or when driving in adverse weather conditions.
Specific training should be developed for different groups, such as young drivers, elderly drivers, motorcyclists, and professional drivers, addressing the unique needs and challenges of each group. This specialization is what makes the training more effective.
Training also fosters long-term behavioral change, creating a lasting impact. In this regard, refresher courses play a key role in preventing the recurrence of risky behaviors.
Equally important are awareness campaigns, offered regularly in various doses and situations within company routines and in society as a whole, with the aim of preventing hazardous behaviors.
It is also crucial to integrate traffic safety education into school curriculum and offer ongoing training programs for drivers. Additionally, focused communication efforts should be made, creating specific educational materials for various groups such as young adults, professional drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and newly licensed or hired drivers.
Increased Focus on High-Risk Operations
Management should prioritize actions that mitigate risks of operations with a higher probability of crashes or traffic-related incidents. This could include educational campaigns targeted at motorcycle riders, who represent a significant portion of serious crashes, or for drivers who frequently travel on unpaved roads or operate heavy vehicles.
Documentation
Ensuring that vehicles and drivers meet documentation requirements of each country, activity, operation, and vehicle type is one of the biggest challenges for companies and drivers alike. Many drivers, often out of mere forgetfulness, fail to renew their driving license, which can result in unwanted disruptions and costs from fines and other penalties.
The constant changes in regulations and laws require companies and drivers to remain vigilant and allocate resources to ensure compliance with updated standards. To aid in this process, there are specialized companies and systems capable of precisely managing driver documentation and other necessary adjustments.
Improvements to Road Infrastructure
Public authorities must pay close attention and develop safe infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, such as overpasses, accessible sidewalks, and bike lanes. Specific measures should also be implemented to protect vulnerable road users like children and senior citizens.
Engineering interventions should be carried out in dangerous areas, including the installation of traffic lights, speed bumps/humps, crosswalks, and improvement in signage. Urban streets should be designed to encourage lower speeds and greater safety for pedestrians and cyclists, incorporating one-way streets, roundabouts, and continuous road maintenance, including pothole repair, visible signage, and proper lighting.
It is essential to hold public authorities accountable for ensuring road infrastructure improvement on urban and rural roadways, maintaining signage, paving, and user support services.
Additionally, companies operating in transportation should ensure their internal infrastructure is designed to minimize risks associated with interactions between machines, drivers, and pedestrians.
Emergency Response
Proper preparation is also needed for dealing with emergencies on both urban and rural roadways. This includes efficient emergency services with well-trained teams, ready-to-deploy vehicles, and quick-response services to assist drivers and other road users.
Community Engagement
Building an effective road safety culture is everyone's responsibility. Therefore, it is essential to involve the community in discussions and decisions about traffic safety by listening to their concerns and suggestions, and holding representatives accountable for keeping the public informed on actions and results achieved. To reach more people and promote safety initiatives, one measure is to strengthen and establish partnerships with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), professional associations, educational institutions, and the private sector.
Technology and Innovation
Technology applied to traffic crash prevention helps create a more predictable and controlled road environment. The array of technological contributions to this sector is vast.
Today, vehicles are equipped with advanced monitoring solutions that meet stringent requirements set by certified agencies as well as the public. Some newer vehicles feature Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), Forward Collision Warning, Lane Keeping Assist, Stability and Traction Control Systems, Connectivity and Information Technology, Driver Behavior Monitoring, and many others, like speed monitoring, fatigue and drowsiness detection, telematics, cameras, integrated software, and autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles.
Additionally, advanced driving simulators allow drivers to train in a safe environment and learn how to respond to risky situations without facing real danger. Virtual reality tools can also be used to train drivers and pedestrians in an immersive and interactive way about traffic safety.
Technology also plays a significant role in traffic enforcement. Real-time traffic monitoring optimizes traffic signal operations and adjusts speed limits based on road conditions, helping to prevent traffic jams and crashes.
Vehicle-to-infrastructure communication apps allow sharing real-time information, such as the presence of obstacles, changes in road conditions, or collision alerts, helping to prevent crashes.
In emergencies, eCall or Emergency Call systems can automatically notify rescue services, providing the vehicle's location and severity of a crash, thus speeding up response time.
Finally, Big Data tools are useful for identifying crash patterns and risks in specific areas, allowing authorities to take preventive actions, such as road infrastructure improvement or awareness campaigns.
Continuous Monitoring and Assessment
It is crucial to continuously monitor the results of interventions, measuring the reduction in collisions and effectiveness of educational campaigns and infrastructure changes using indicators.
Periodic road safety audits are also essential to identify new risk areas and adjust strategies as needed.
Maintaining transparency about the effectiveness of ongoing actions is vital. Communicating results to the public and relevant authorities allows for adjustments to improvement initiatives based on assessments.
Impartial and Transparent Evaluation of Causes
It is essential to ensure a technical and impartial investigation that uncovers the true causes of traffic crashes. This allows for appropriate post-incident actions and avoids misguided penalties that could have harmful consequences for those involved. Having a support structure for investigations, whether internal, public, or outsourced, with the assistance of specialized companies, is crucial. This ensures that actions effectively highlight the real cause of a traffic-related event and lead to proper accountability.
Encouraging Public and Sustainable Transportation
Developing more sustainable urban mobility is one of the key factors that contributes to road safety culture. Public transportation will lead to safer traffic if governments implement policies that promote public transit and ensure the service becomes increasingly more efficient and comfortable. This will encourage people to shift from private cars to collective transport options.
Socioeconomic Impact
Building safer roads directly improves the quality of life and well-being of a population, while reducing social and economic burdens. Effective education and training on road safety can significantly reduce the number of crashes, thereby decreasing costs related to medical care, property damage, and lost productivity.
Fewer traffic crashes also result in lower insurance premiums and less strain on the social security system, positively impacting public finances and organizational budgets.
Attention to Psychosocial Well-Being
Driving responsibly requires adopting self-care practices and maintaining emotional balance. Thus, mental health care should be a part of the routine for drivers and other road users.
A well-informed driver does not act impulsively or reactively to stress, contributing to a safer, more harmonious traffic environment where everyone feels more secure and confident in their travels.
Lastly, it is crucial to provide psychological and legal support to road traffic victims and their families, ensuring a humane and effective response to post-crash care.
Conclusion
This set of strategies can be adapted to the specific needs of each location, operational profile, and mode of transportation. However, the key to success lies in the coordinated, standardized, and ongoing implementation of these actions, with regular monitoring, setting achievable goals, well-designed preventive and corrective measures, and course adjustments as necessary.
We believe that the implementation of well-defined policies that ensure information transparency, reliability, and precision can genuinely and sustainably contribute to traffic risk management and crash prevention programs.
The integration of technologies and continuous efforts to change individual behavior can guarantee consistent results in reversing the trend of road crashes. Fortunately, these programs are already available globally for various sectors and economic realities.
Contact us to learn more about our solutions designed to prevent crashes, protect lives, and reduce costs.
Written by Marcelo Fontes
COO CEPA Mobility | Consultant | Professor | NAFA Member - USA
Specialized in Innovation Project Leadership from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
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