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The Safe System Approach for Rural Roads

#RRSAW2022 Day 2: The Safe System Approach for Rural Roads

Safe System Approach for Rural Roads | Rural Road Safety Awareness Week 2022 | National Center for Rural Road Safety

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Psssst!

Any hardboiled sleuth will tell you humans make mistakes. Even the most wise-headed driver can’t escape it. But many times, roads are built assuming the people on them are perfect. Why is that? It’s a mystery. Every mystery is a puzzle. Put the pieces in the right place and everyone gets home safely. To solve this case, we need a holistic, human-centered system that brings all the pieces of rural road safety together. Let us introduce the Safe System Approach. The 6 Guiding Principles of the Safe System Approach are:
  • Deaths and serious injuries are unacceptable
  • Humans make mistakes
  • Humans are vulnerable
  • Responsibility is shared
  • Safety is proactive
  • Redundancy is crucial
Based on these principles, the Safe System Approach also includes five elements that create layers of protection for road users.
  • Safe road users
  • Safe vehicles
  • Safe speeds
  • Safe roads
  • Post-crash care
When used together, this approach reduces injury severity and prevents fatal crashes. All five layers must fail for a fatal crash to occur. As you plan to solve the mystery of rural road deaths in your area, you’ll need a heroic team of safety allies to assist. We’ve got you covered on Day 3 of Rural Road Safety Awareness Week – Proven Safety Countermeasures!  

Resources

Webinar Series

Part 1: Introducing the Safe System Approach and Traffic Safety Part 2: Safe Road Users Part 3: Safe Vehicles Part 4: Safe Speeds Part 5: Safe Roads Part 6: Post Crash Care

Other Resources

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