Indian Ocean Drive Safety Review

Core to our ‘Safe System’ approach is the belief that no person should be killed or seriously injured on our roads. In line with this belief, Main Roads joined experienced staff from the Road Safety Commission and the Western Australia Police Force to conduct a road safety review on Indian Ocean Drive, between Two Rocks and Lancelin. Responding to an increase in serious crashes along this section of road, the review examined road safety risk, road engineering and driver behaviour.

Using a ‘Safe System’ approach, the team reviewed the issues and released a report in November 2017 that outlined a number of recommendations including:

• immediate reduction in the speed limit as an interim measure to support other short term infrastructure improvements
• interagency communication and education strategy
• increase in police presence, focusing on unsafe road use
• centre and edge line maintenance to enhance visibility and reflectivity
• installation of audible edge and centre-lines
• improved signage
• vegetation clearing to improve sight lines
• design review of intersections between Two Rocks and Lancelin
• assessment and management of roadside
• Wide Centre-Line Treatment.

Support from the state and federal governments was provided in the form of $7 million funding in 2017-18 for the construction of four overtaking lanes on Indian Ocean Drive, between Two Rocks and Lancelin.

Additionally, the state government committed $20 million from the 2018-19 budget for seal widening incorporating a Wide Centre-Line Treatment to be applied to the section of road. Relatively new to Western Australia, the treatment provides a one-metre wide centreline coupled with audible line marking. This creates a greater separation between opposing traffic, allowing for additional reaction time if a driver unintentionally drifts across the centre-line towards oncoming traffic. This treatment is also included in the design of four new overtaking lanes between Seabird and Lancelin, which commenced in April 2018.

The combined effort to undertake a review of this magnitude highlights the State Government’s commitment to road safety. We will continue to monitor the safety performance of Indian Ocean Drive and further measures will be recommended on a priority basis as required across the road network.

To see more about the review and the works being done, videos are available on our YouTube Channel.