Ensuring safe transport for all

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.