Increasing Safe System Awareness in Queensland Road Authorities.

In Queensland the Safe System framework first appeared in the Queensland Road Safety Action Plan 2008-2009. In mid 2009 it was recognised that there had been no specific communication strategy targeting the engineering community in Queensland. As a result, two approaches were adopted to improve knowledge and awareness:
Safer Roads Technical Update – This quarterly publication contains news and articles on road safety, predominantly safe roads and safe speeds. It covers innovative treatments, research findings from Australia and worldwide, road safety data analysis and road safety success stories. Some editions focus on a particular topic, such as speed, vulnerable road users, or the Safe System. The target audience is not just road safety practitioners but also engineers and technicians whose work has road safety implications.
Safe System Regional Workshops – These one day workshops were delivered in thirteen regional centres around the state in 2010. They were designed to inform regional and council engineers and technicians of the practical steps they could take to contribute towards achieving a safer road system and reducing road trauma. They included interactive sessions as well as presentations.
The Technical Update has increased the knowledge and the profile of road safety issues across the engineering community within the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and local councils. Feedback was very much encouraged at the workshops. An outcomes report identified areas of concern in delivering road safety at the regional and local levels and potential areas of improvement to enhance future road safety outcomes. The Technical Update and Safe System Workshops have effectively raised the awareness and knowledge of road safety issues within state and local government agencies.