Black Spot Programs

Background

Program Goals:

Black spot programs are road improvement treatments that focus on reducing the number of casualties at a particular location on a road network through the most cost-effective means.

Intent:

Unintentional injuries

Risk Factors Addressed:

Road characteristics, traffic exposure, degree and type of risk, crash severity; Fixed roadside objects that infringe on traffic lanes (large trees, bridge abutments, poles, etc.), unsealed shoulders, high traffic volumes and minimal traffic control, poor visibility, pedestrians (school crossings, school bus drop points, strip shopping malls, etc.)

Place of occurrence:

Roadways, both urban and rural

Age/Age Range:

Adults - Driving population, pedestrians

Resources

Year Developed:

July 1, 1990

Collaborative Organization(s):

Federal Office of Road Safety (FORS) administers the program on behalf of the Federal Government of Australia as part of the Commonwealth Department of Transport and Regional Development. The federal minister for Transport and Regional Development organizes the Black Spot consultative Panel in each state comprising of the parliamentary secretary to the minister for Transport and Regional Development, representatives of related state and road transport authorities, municipal governments, communities and road users.

Funding Resource(s):

Australian Federal Government

Costs:

$145 Million in first four years; $36 million per year 1996 to 2000; $40.8 million in 2001; $41.7 million in 2002

Implementation

Context/Setting:

Community

Strategies Used:

Engineering; Education; Economics; Enactment

Activities Used:

Road safety audit including site crash history; proactive approach to identify potential crash sites; assessing identified sites that have yet to meet the crash threshold; Statistical data; Local knowledge from community groups, clubs and associations, industry; Data storage of crash details, vehicle details, casualty details recorded by state and territory police. Combination of factors that cause traffic accidents are managed using a matrix specifying traffic engineering solutions. Crash probability impacted by many influences, treatments likely only reduce the risk of one influence. Information on type of crash at type of site is important for choosing appropriate treatment.

Program Evaluation:

Bureau of Transport Economics prepared evaluation in August 2001 of the first three years, based on a before/after assessment of treatment effectiveness by comparing history of crash site after treatment with expected crash history if no treatment was applied using a cost/benefit standard

Source of Best Practice:

Road-related Neurotrauma and Road Safety: Opportunities and Challenges for Prevention Science.
Richard Volpe, John Lewko, & the LSAP Research Group, 2006 

Original Source:

VicRoads, the Victoria Black Spot program (1979) in coordination with Monash University Accident Resource Centre.

Supplementary Material:

http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/rsc/rural/report/RSC%20REPORT-16.htm
World Report on Road Traffic Injury Prevention
http://www.who.int/worldhealthday/2004/infomaterials/world_report/en/ 

Local Example(s):

Ontario Provincial Standards - a joint venture between the Ministry of Transportation for Ontario (MTO) and the Municipal Engineers Association

Contact Information (if any):

Mr. Greg Moxon
Manager, National Black Spot program
Department of Transport & Regional Services Australia
Greg.Moxton@dotars.gov.au
Tel: +61 2 6274 6172

Outcomes

Long-term outcomes/Effectiveness:

Reduction factors are the result of specific treatments that are applied to intersections, road pavements, grade separation, rail crossings, barriers, curve treatment, fixed roadside hazards, pedestrian/cyclist access, street lighting.

Short-term outcomes:

Reduction of casualty crashes by 31% in capital cities and 48% in regional areas. National fatality rate in 2002 was lowest recorded in a decade and continues in a downward trend.

Cost-Effectiveness:

Initial objective of reducing the number of casualties via the most cost-effective means has been met. Engineering -based treatments mean that once a problem is fixed, it no longer requires resources, effort or support.

Other

Date of Review:

2005

Classification:

Best Practice