What is the Rural Road Safety Network?
The Rural Road Safety Network (RRSN) is made up of ACRS members who are passionate about promoting and advocating for road safety strategies in rural and remote areas of Australasia and beyond. The number of deaths and injuries on rural and remote roads per capita in Australasia is proportionately higher than seen in urban areas. There are unique challenges in these regions such as lower investment base, larger distances to travel, poorer quality of roads, lack of travel options, lower-quality vehicles, and a dispersed population.
With the development in 2025 of a new ACRS Policy Position Statement on Rural and Remote Road Safety, this Network aims to establish a corresponding ACRS group to provide support and progress specific solutions to address the above challenges. The vision of the RRSN is a world where no one is killed or seriously injured on our rural road networks. ACRS members are welcome to join and participate in working towards this core vision.
The Network welcomes ACRS members who are researchers and consultants, policy & design practitioners, local/state government members, commercial drivers, driver trainers, and industry advocates who possess expertise and experience in relevant areas including:
- Rural speed management
- Rural road design, construction and maintenance
- Road data collection & management for remote rural areas
- Motor vehicle driver training, education, and maintenance
- Technical and services support for isolated communities and local government areas
- Road safety fatigue & human factors
The RRSN offers unique opportunities to connect with passionate road safety professionals, practitioners, and stakeholders, including industry, government, and regulators to have conversations about relevant safety issues. We want to share each other’s experiences, collaborate on ideas, support each other, and resolve challenges for those working in or researching the rural transport sector.
The Rural Road Safety Network encourages members to:
- Assist with the development of submissions to government or other industry focused enquiries, and liaising with industry bodies, government, and politicians regarding rural road safety on behalf of the ACRS
- Participate in regular networking events
- Share industry news affecting rural road safety or new safety innovation concepts via the ACRS Weekly Alert
- Connect like-minded professionals, practitioners, and stakeholders through events such as webinars and conferences
Those wishing to join the RRSN Committee can also contribute to the development of RRSN activities such as webinars, conference workshops, and other networking events.
We look forward to your invaluable contribution in making our rural road networks safer now and into the future.
How do I join the Rural Road Safety Network?
I am a member of the ACRS
Members can log into the ACRS website and edit your Profile – scroll down until you find the question ‘Would you like to join the RRSN?’ and select ‘Yes’. Once added, you will receive all RRSN communications and be eligible to attend any RRSN event. You can view a PDF of more detailed instructions here.
I am not a member of the ACRS
To take part in the RRSN you must be either an Individual or Corporate Member of the ACRS. You can learn about the differences in membership here or contact admin@acrs.org.au for more information.