This report addresses the issue of run-off-road crashes in Victoria, through the large-scale use of flexible barriers along high-speed roads. Run-off-road crashes contribute up to four in ten fatalities in Victoria and over half of all fatalities on rural roads.

Although other countermeasures such as clear zones and shoulder sealing have had some effect in addressing this major road safety issue, flexible barriers are proving to be the most effective countermeasure, eradicating, almost completely, the risk of fatal injury resulting from vehicles running off the road.

The report describes Swedish experience with flexible barriers, detailing the road safety concerns pertinent to Sweden, the different design configurations used to adapt the barriers to various road cross-sections, and its great success in reducing single-vehicle crashes as a result of large-scale use of flexible barriers.

The report then addresses how Sweden’s experience can be applied on to Victorian roads to target single-vehicle crashes on high-speed roads while adapting barrier layouts to Victorian road types.

This initial assessment of flexible barrier use predicts that major savings of up to 90% in death and serious injury can be achieved, with no evidence of increased road trauma for motorcyclists. An estimate of the economic value of these savings is several times larger than the investment costs.

Further study is required to define, in greater detail, the design concepts and implementation issues for providing flexible barriers along major high-speed routes in Victoria. Barrier performance in impacts with heavy vehicles and motorcyclists should also form part of any further studies.