This report presents the results of an evaluation of the State Black Spot Programs in Western Australia that were implemented between 2000 and 2002. During this period 150 Black Spot locations were treated throughout Western Australia at a cost of $9.7 million. The purpose of this report was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Black Spot Programs in terms of reduction in crash frequency (presented for all reported crashes and casualty crashes) at the treated locations and the economic worth of these treatments. The results showed the Black Spot Programs have been effective overall, reducing all reported crash frequencies by 15% and casualty crash frequencies by 28%. The estimated crash cost savings were $50.8 million for all reported crashes of which 89% can be attributed to the reduction in casualty crashes. This resulted in an overall net savings to the community of $40.4 million ($35.1 million attributed to casualty crashes) after subtracting the capital costs of treating sites and maintenance and operating costs. The benefit cost ratio (BCR) across all treatment sites was 4.9. Evaluation of the different treatments has identified some treatment types that were highly effective, while others have not been shown significant change in number of crashes or cost of crashes. This could be due to insufficient number of sites having undergone the treatment, the period post-treatment over which the crash data was collected being relatively short, or the treatments genuinely not having an effect on road safety. The results will provide Main Roads WA and other road safety organizations with reliable, objective information for enhancing strategies for future road safety investment. (Author/publisher)
Abstract