Abstract:
Transport, including road transport, is not executed in a vacuum. To review the basics of
safe transport for all, the points of departure needs to be considered. Transport is a
derived demand, stemming from the spatial distribution of resources, origin and destination
of trips. Understanding mobility demand, modal split and context is necessary in order to
reduce demand, shift to safer modes and create a safer transport environment. Engineers
should understand what enables transport for all. This includes overarching legislation,
policies and strategies, and their translation into budgets and projects. How things are
done are not only driven by technical considerations, but also by ethics. The reasonable
road user has a right to a reasonably safe transport environment. Human behaviour is the
basic building block of user activities, and the transport community should understand this.
The modern paradigm is the Safe System with its five pillars: Road safety management,
safer road users, safer roads and mobility (safer speeds), safer vehicles and effective
post-crash response. Engineers contribute to road safety in various ways. They provide
reasonable safe roads with speeds that consider human frailty. They accept that humans
make mistakes, while realising that human error should not result in fatality. They provide
facilities and mitigation measures that reduce the risk of accidents and serious
consequences. They update geometric design standards and details such as typical
drawings for safety. They keep abreast with developments in road safety engineering.
They make a personal commitment to safety. ‘’Nobody cares how much you know unless
they know how much you care’’ – Theodore Roosevelt.
