A globally recognised risk rating system should determine how the Australian government funds major roads, a peak motoring body says.
Federal road funding would be better based on a risk assessment for the road, including information about how the proposed work will lift the road's safety rating, the Australian Automobile Association says.
Used in about 130 countries, including Greece, Vietnam, Croatia and Saudi Arabia, the International Road Assessment Program protocols help road authorities identify safety upgrades that will reduce road deaths and injuries.
The national road toll continues to climb, with 1300 people killed on roads in 2024, up from 1258 the previous year and a 12-year high.
The Australian version of the assessment program would highlight where the risk of fatal or serious injury is greatest across the road network.
The star ratings, rated between one and five, would be calculated using a range of risk factors and information, such as average daily traffic, speed limits, the number of lanes in each direction and the presence or absence of road barriers.
That information would then be overlaid with crash data to understand how infrastructure contributes to crashes and crash outcomes, enabling authorities to identify potential road works that will reduce the risks.
Five star-rated roads are the gold standard for road safety - but the Association says the greatest number of lives saved and serious injuries avoided per dollar invested are seen when upgrading low star roads to at least three-star safety standard.
According to the association, more than 450,000km of Australian roads have been assessed using the protocols.
Queensland’s RACQ recently ran a “Fix the Bruce” campaign, calling on the Queensland and Australian governments to upgrade the Bruce Highway, which won huge pre-election funding pledges earlier in January.
Almost half of the highway’s length is rated two stars for safety.
