Recognising excellence and encouraging innovation in road safety
Road Safety Trust Road Safety Innovation and Achievement Awards
Judging criteria for individual award categories
There are five award categories, with an overall Premier Award for the best of the best.
- road safety education
- road safety community
- road safety vehicle-based
- road safety in organisations
- road safety road engineering
- premier award
NB: Last year a ‘General’ category was included. The 2007/08 awards will again focus only on the five original categories, however the judging criteria have been expanded somewhat in order to fit a wide range of road safety initiatives.
road safety education award
The winning entry will be the innovation that has made the most significant impact on the teaching and/or practice of road safety within an educational environment. This category is open to all educational institutions including those in partnerships with outside agencies. Organisations operating in an education setting are also able to enter in this category.
The innovation must take place in the Early Childhood, Primary and/or Secondary education sectors, and must have been implemented, and had its impact reviewed, between 23 March 2007 and the closing date for entries, 4 August 2008.
The winning innovation will demonstrate:
- Significant originality in design and/or delivery (not simply deliver activities that are given to schools as part of standard programmes)
- A clearly identified road safety need
- An education or information-sharing element e.g. classroom-based work or efforts to share information with parents and the wider community
- Best practise in road safety education
- The positive impact of the innovation by formal evaluation or
anecdotal observation.
Previous winners include: i Save The World – Papamoa School; Kids on Feet (KOF) – Greerton Village School; Tricky Tracks – Edendale School and joint winners for 2003 Sharing Our Roads – North Loburn School; and New Bus and Car Parking and Turning Area – Te Puru School.
For more details about previous winners of this category see History - Education Awards.
road safety community award
The winning entry will be a person, group or organisation that has made an outstanding contribution to road safety within their community (where ‘community’ refers to a group unified by common interests).
The innovation must have been implemented, completed and reviewed, between 23 March 2007 and the closing date for entries, 4 August 2008.
The winning entry must show how it has improved road safety and will demonstrate some or all of the following:
- That the community initiative involves people from the community identifying and taking ownership of the road safety issue
- A process that allowed the community to better understand its own road safety problems and concerns, prior to working to address them
- How it has engaged with all relevant road safety professionals as a part of the initiative
- That it has been effective in addressing road safety in the community – evidence of this could be feedback such as local newspaper articles, or letters from members of the community supporting the initiative and recognising it has been successful
- That its initiative has had benefit for the wider community and has the potential for, or has already achieved, on-going use on a wider basis.
Previous winners include: Survivor Idol – Community Injury Prevention- Turanga Health – joint winners for 2005 with Alcohol Management Operation (AMO) – Northland Rugby Referees Association; Safe in His Hands – Tongan Methodist Church New Lynn; and Shattered Dreams, Tamati Paul’s Story – Gisborne Community Injury Prevention Unit.
For more details about previous winners of this category see History - Community Awards.
road safety vehicle-based award
The winner will be an individual, organisation or company whose product, technical innovation or concept, system, experimental project, vehicle or vehicle component is judged to have made, or have potential to make, the most significant contribution to the safety of drivers, passengers and other road users.
The innovation must have been put into operation or trialled for the first time, and its impact reviewed, between 23 March 2007 and the closing date for entries, 4 August 2008.
The winning innovation will be well researched and designed, and:
- The potential to save lives must be demonstrated
- The safety feature or innovation must be currently in use on or in a vehicle operating legally on New Zealand roads, or a simulation of its
use undertaken and available - If the innovation is not yet implemented it should be ready to be put
into operation - The winning entry will be a vehicle-based innovation developed in New Zealand, but may be based on overseas concepts which have been evaluated and adapted to be suitable for the New Zealand fleet. Overseas entries for vehicle safety innovations will not be considered.
Previous winners include: Intelligent Brake Light System – Databrake International; Static Roll Threshold Calculator – Transport Engineering Research NZ.
For more details about previous winners of this category see History - Vehicle-based Awards.
road safety in organisations award
This is awarded to the organisation (small or large company, public or private organisation etc) that has demonstrated outstanding commitment to the encouragement of safe driving practices for its staff and/or safer vehicle operations within its organisation.
The winner will clearly demonstrate a commitment to road safety through the development and implementation of a safe driving policy. The promotion of the road safety policy and encouragement of drivers and/or staff to participate must be demonstrated along with positive road safety benefits/outcomes.
The initiative must have been implemented and evaluated between 23 March 2007 and the closing date for entries, 4 August 2008.
There should be some evidence that the organisation fosters a safe driving culture by some or all of the following:
- Vehicle selection policy includes approved safety features
- Has a reliable vehicle maintenance system
- Creates safer drivers through training, selection and education
- Addresses driver fatigue, driver distraction, speed, drink driving,
safety belt use and energy efficiency - Provides employee incentives for safe driving behaviour
- Has safe driving policies and procedures incorporated into the organisation’s health and safety policy
- Investigates crashes and implements learnings to reduce risk
- Encourages healthy eating, sleep, work and exercise habits that assist safe driving
- The initiative has lead to staff feeling safer, with improved attitudes and behaviours related to driving.
Previous winners include: Log Truck Safety – Log Transport Safety Council; Driver Safety Programme – Excell Corporation; and Fonterra Milk Supply.
For more details about previous winners of this category see History - Organisations Awards.
road safety road engineering award
This is awarded to the road controlling authority, or road controlling authority in association with consultancies/contractors, that has implemented the most innovative road or traffic engineering or management initiative designed to improve safety of the road network.
The initiative must have been implemented and evaluated between 23 March 2007 and the closing date for entries, 4 August 2008.
- The winning initiative will have achieved, or demonstrate it has a high potential to achieve, long-term road safety benefits
- The innovation must have a sound technical basis
- The winning innovation must demonstrate its improvement of the road/transport system.
Previous winners include: SWATT (South Waikato and Taupo Target 2010); Coast Road Median Barrier – Transit NZ; and School Zone 40km/h Temporary Speed Zone – High Technology Systems Ltd and Christchurch City Council.
premier award
Awarded by the judging panel for the ‘best of the best’ from the category winners.