Introducing a Novel Systems Thinking approach inspired by STPA: Road Safety Intervention design case study

TL;DR

This paper presents a new systems thinking framework inspired by STPA for designing road safety interventions, emphasizing stakeholder interactions, assumptions, and continuous monitoring to improve safety outcomes.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, holistic systems thinking approach tailored for road safety management, integrating stakeholder modeling and dynamic risk monitoring.

Findings

Framework applied successfully to UK road network

Provides actionable guidance for stakeholders

Defines new KPIs for safety monitoring

Abstract

According to the latest provisional statistics released by the UK Department for Transport, Great Britain recorded 1,633 road deaths in 2024, representing a slight increase from 2023 and raising concerns about safety progress, which indicates that preventable fatalities remain a challenge. The deployment of advanced mobility systems, even certified and safety-assessed, is not sufficient to deliver improved safety outcomes, and existing road infrastructure is not sufficiently equipped to prevent severe collisions. Successful application of the ``Safe System'' approach demands systems thinking in an integrated and holistic manner, encompassing all aspects of road safety. This paper argues that road safety must be managed as a complex socio-technical system where risk evolves dynamically and must be continuously monitored. To address these safety gaps, we propose a systems thinking approach that identifies factors contributing to fatal outcomes and mitigates them. The framework consists of four steps: 1) List stakeholders who influence road safety, 2) Model the interactions between these stakeholders, 3) List assumptions that might be identified as factors for fatalities, and 4) Monitor these assumptions throughout the system lifecycle. The approach is applied to the United Kingdom (UK) road network to demonstrate feasibility. The study provides actionable guidance and new KPIs categories for stakeholders to implement road safety monitoring and eliminate any unreasonable road safety risks.