SAFE SYSTEM NEWS
SAFE SYSTEM NEWS
TOP ARTICLES
Road Safety on Hot Days
Road safety takes a hit on really hot days. Research from around the world reveals that when temperatures climb above 30 degrees Celsius, the risk of accidents doesn’t just rise—it jumps sharply. Pedestrians face more than double the injury risk during extreme heat, cyclists see injuries increase by nearly 80%...
Cyclist Safety
On-road crashes involving cyclists are often caused by a driver failing to see the cyclist. Cyclists are generally inconspicuous, as they are small, outnumbered and not a safety threat to drivers.
Auckland City Centre Gateways – Crash Reduction
Posted speeds were lowered to 30-40km/h in the Auckland City Centre in 2020. Accordingly, gateway speed thresholds designed by TES were installed around the city centre. In 2025, reported Death and Serious Injury (DSI) crashes were analysed in the city centre, approximately 4.5 years ‘before’ and ‘after’ the…
Roadside Safety Messages Can Increase Crashes
Several U.S. states display year-to-date fatality statistics (number of deaths) on roadside dynamic message signs (DMSs). The hope is that these sobering messages will reduce traffic crashes. Contrary to policymakers’ expectations it was found that displaying fatality messages increases the number of crashes...
New Roundabouts - Substantial Crash Savings
Two new roundabouts designed by TES and commissioned by Auckland Transport have achieved substantial crash savings, post-construction. These recent examples demonstrate that replacing dangerous junctions with well designed roundabouts, aligned with Safe System principles, can achieve...
Parking Kills Business Not Bikes or Buses
Many business owners believe that a significant portion of their patronage arrives by car, and that removing on-street parking will force customers to shop elsewhere. However, studies around the globe show that shop owners consistently overestimate the number of shoppers that arrive by car...
NZ Crash Trend
The NZ DSI (death/serious injury) crash trend over the last five years (2017-2021) indicates an average crash reduction of 3% per year. This trend involves fluctuation, possibly caused by covid lockdowns (2020 – 2021). The crash trend for Auckland is similar, though the Auckland decline is more significant...
Public Transport Use Drops and Crashes Increase
In the US, trips taken on public transport are around half of what they were before the pandemic. This is partly due to working from home, reduced transport services, and alternative modes of transport (walking/cycling). Meanwhile, there has been a surge of car-related deaths, up 18% on the...
SUV Advertising & Road Safety
A high proportion of top-selling passenger vehicles in NZ are utes or SUVs, with the double-cab light truck becoming an urban vehicle. Also, marketing videos for SUV’s in NZ promote aggressive driving, such as skidding and jumping. However, light trucks on city streets are bad for several reasons...