Creating a Cultural Maturity Model to Assess Safe System Readiness Within Road Safety Organisations

Abstract

The Safe System is an approach to road safety management which is considered international best practice. Road safety organisations at all levels are developing policies and strategies which incorporate Safe System thinking. Whilst guidance on Safe System implementation is available, local adoption and application of Safe System thinking differ, based on organisational structure, history, and the traditional sphere of influence in road safety. This research set out to determine the potential of a model for assessing how culturally mature organisations are in relation to Safe System thinking and application. Understanding how far along road safety authorities are in their adoption of Safe System principles and practice is important for creating consistency in implementation and monitoring, and identifying where further support is required. Evidence from multiple disciplines has been collated to create and test a Safe System Cultural Maturity Model (SSCMM). The philosophical and practical application of the Safe System have been combined with behaviour change and cultural maturity models to provide a mechanism for identifying where an organisation could be strengthened. A diagnostic tool, in the form of a question set and analytical outputs, was created to apply the model. The SSCMM is a valid way of exploring the cultural maturity of organisations in their progress towards Safe System adoption. It can act as a diagnostic tool to identify where Safe System thinking and actions need to be strengthened. Supporting institutions to strengthen Safe System culture will embed systemic thinking at the organisational level, increasing the efficacy of delivery.