Safe System Assessments

A Safe System assessment measures a project against the Safe System approach — the framework, adopted across Australia, built on the principle that no one should be killed or seriously injured on the road network. Rather than only asking “does this meet standards?”, it asks “how well does this manage the crash forces that cause death and serious injury?” It gives authorities and project teams a structured, comparable way to understand and improve the safety performance of a design.

Safe System assessments are increasingly requested for road and intersection projects, funding submissions, and options assessments — particularly where an authority wants to compare design options on their safety performance, or demonstrate alignment with Safe System objectives. They are often used alongside a road safety audit rather than instead of one.

State road authorities, councils, and organisations preparing infrastructure funding submissions are the most common requesters, as Safe System alignment is frequently part of how projects are prioritised and justified.

We assess how the design manages the key crash types and the forces involved — considering factors such as speed, intersection type and treatment, provision for vulnerable road users, roadside conditions and the likelihood and severity of the crashes a location is exposed to. The assessment identifies where a design performs well and where a change would meaningfully reduce the risk of serious harm.

A Safe System assessment report that scores or rates the project's safety performance in a structured, comparable way, explains the reasoning, and sets out where and how safety could be improved — useful both for design decisions and for supporting a funding or approval case.

Assessments are prepared with reference to the current Austroads Safe System assessment guidance and the relevant state framework (DTP in Victoria; TMR in Queensland). We confirm the specific method and references your authority expects at scoping.

The project location and design (plans or concept options); the purpose of the assessment (design decision, funding submission, options comparison); the authority involved; and your timeframe.