By Patrick Hatch
Copyright theage
A typical one-star rural road is undivided with a narrow centre line, has trees or power poles close to the roadside and has a 100km/h speed limit, increasing the chances of a serious head-on or run-off crash.
A road could be upgraded to three stars with a wider centre line, rumble strips and a clearance of at least five metres to roadside hazards, while five-star roads typically have safety barriers separating motorists from oncoming and roadside hazards.
IRAP – the international organisation behind the rating system, which is used in over 130 countries – says that the risk of death and serious injury on a road is roughly halved with every improvement in star rating, such as moving from two stars to three stars.
Victoria and all other states and territories have set a target of having 80 per cent of travel being on roads rated at three stars or better by 2030 as part of the National Road Safety Strategy, pushing them to prioritise upgrades on their most-used roads.
On that measure, 71 per cent of travel is on three-star or better roads statewide. In rural areas, 58 per cent of travel is on three-star or better roads, up from 50 per cent in 2014.
