Application of NetRISK road network safety assessment tool: the North Coast Hinterland district case study

Over 300 people die on Queensland roads annually. Based on current trends, some 30 per cent reduction in fatalities is required in order to reach the state’s road safety strategy target of 5.6 fatalities per 100,000 population by 2011. In a proactive move to help reduce the fatalities, Queensland Main Roads and ARRB Group joined forces to undertake a network level road safety assessment of the state-controlled roads in the North Coast Hinterland District. The study utilised the NetRISK tool developed by ARRB in collaboration with Queensland Roads Alliance to provide a strategic level assessment of the safety performance of the network. The NetRISK process is a proactive way of dealing with the road safety problem by enabling authorities to identify high-risk sites and treat them before they become blackspots. The paper provides an overview of NetRISK process and its application in the North Coast Hinterland District. The assessment covered about 1300 km of roads and 184 major intersections. Out of these, 17 per cent of the network and 34 intersections were identified as high risk sites. The outcomes include colour-coded risk maps highlighting high-risk sites; the major safety issues; and snapshots of key features that have major impact on road safety.