This document compares proposed initiatives for high priority areas outlined in the Safer Journeys discussion document with road safety actions proposed or implemented in Australia. It does not attempt to comprehensively compare Safer Journeys with road safety initiatives in individual Australian states, or to identify international best practice. Australians enjoy a higher level of road safety than New Zealanders and this is one of the reasons Australia is often used as a point of comparison. The rates of road deaths per 100,000 population in Australia in 2007 and 2008 were 7.6 and 6.9 respectively. This compares with the New Zealand rates of 10 and 8.6. However, there is significant variation between Australian states in their road safety performance. The 2008 road death rates for various Australian states were as follows: Australian Capital Territory 4.07, New South Wales 5.70, Victoria 5.72, South Australia 6.18, Queensland 7.64, Tasmania 8.03, Western Australia 9.66 and Northern Territory 34.10. Death rates per 100,000 population for Australia, New Zealand, and selected Australian states. The Safer Journeys strategy will be key to improving road safety in New Zealand. A Safer Journeys discussion document was released in August 2009 for public consultation. This document summarised New Zealand’s road safety performance and suggested ways this could be improved. Proposed road safety actions were organised by priority as high, medium or of continuing focus. The discussion document and feedback will form the basis for developing the Safer Journeys strategy to guide New Zealand road safety efforts over the next 10 years. The five high priority areas in the discussion document were:* increasing the safety of young drivers* reducing alcohol/and drug impaired driving* safer roads and roadsides* increasing the safety of motorcycling* safer speeds. The medium priorities were:* light vehicles* walking and cycling* heavy vehicles* fatigue* distraction. This report focuses on the high priority areas. For each of these high priority areas, the initiatives in the discussion document are listed. Where there is a high degree of similarity between Safer Journeys and Australian initiatives, they are directly compared. The 2009/10 Australian Road Safety Action Plan was developed by representatives of each Australian state. It represents Australia’s nationwide approach to improving road safety. Although there is often close alignment between Australian states in road safety focus, there are areas where road safety approaches differ. This is due to the unique characteristics of each state and that there is no statutory obligation to follow the national action plan. Relevant information from the 2009/10 Australian Road Safety Action Plan is also included in the following comparison. In general, there is much in common between what is proposed in the Safer Journeys discussion document and what is in place or proposed for implementation in Australia. The ‘safe system’ approach to road safety proposed in Safer Journeys has already been adopted by Australia at a federal and state level and forms the basis of the Australian and state road safety strategies. (Author/publisher)
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