Actualising a safe transport system through a human factors systems approach

Safe system strategies govern the approaches to road safety in many countries. This is the case for both road and rail safety in Australia. In this paper we take a complex segment of the road and rail system, rail level crossings, to demonstrate why the current approaches to safety in this area need to change. We argue that approaches that are more consistent with real systems thinking are required to generate the new interventions needed to reduce road trauma in this setting. In recognizing the need for new approaches the Victorian road and rail sponsors have partnered with Australian and UK Universities in an exciting four year initiative designed to change the paradigm in RLX safety. In this paper we outline the rationale for this change and describe the four phase analytical approach being used. It is hoped that this approach will help to actualise safe system strategies in ways that are more consistent with systems thinking and that significantly improve safety.