Throughout regional Western Australia, there are local governments, private businesses and State Government agencies that together with their communities want to contribute towards a safer road network. To date, several regional-based groups have worked together through collaborative planning resulting in the development of road safety projects that will help reduce death and serious injuries in their community.

The Regional Road Safety Planning Process is based on the principles of Towards Zero, the current road safety strategy for 2008-2020. An important principle of Towards Zero is ‘shared responsibility’. Towards Zero also comprises the Safe System Cornerstones that promote: safe road users travelling in safe cars at safe speeds along safe roads and roadsides.

The purpose of developing regional road safety plans is to facilitate and coordinate positive road safety initiatives and outcomes based on the Safe System.

More importantly, the concept of the regional road safety plan is to create an opportunity for regional road safety stakeholders, state road safety agencies and the community to leverage the strengths of all stakeholders involved, such as the ‘shared responsibility’ for planning and owning the solutions to their road safety issues.

In addition, when you combine stakeholders’ strengths with research, statistics, education and local knowledge the foundation of the regional road safety plan is formed. Once the plan has been developed, agreed and signed by all members of the working group, the plan is then reviewed and adjusted after 12 months. This means the regional road safety plan remains relevant to the community by reflecting on lessons learned and adapting to changing needs.

The purpose of this document is to assist regional groups that want to create a regional road safety plan.