Global Youth Coalition Member Feature: Matt Bennet

1. Where are you connected right now? Tell us about the work you're doing.
I am currently based in Melbourne, Australia. I am based in my home state of Victoria and do some projects that have to do with interstates. My work is primarily to critique existing roads and proposed designs, noting where improvements can be made to make the road safer for all road users. I have done some projects around designing and testing frameworks that focus on road safety within decision-making processes. Alongside my job in road safety, I’m also involved in other projects in the traffic and transport engineering field. These projects can include a wide range of tasks, from modeling traffic through intersections to proposing changes to bus networks to improve connectivity and reliability of services.

2. How did you first get involved in road safety and how long have you been working in the road safety and sustainable mobility field?
I have always been very passionate about transport in general; this is what led me to study transport systems engineering at university. However, my road safety journey did not start until I was looking for a topic for my thesis towards the end of my studies in 2017. An opportunity came for me to join a working group looking into including pedestrian and cycling safety for construction truck route planning in built-up urban areas. It was through researching into this area and through discussions with other members of the working group that I realized how important, but often overlooked, road safety is.

The process and tools our working group developed is called Human Impact Route Assessment (HIRA). It has since been used on major construction projects in both Melbourne and Sydney and is something that I am proud to have played a part in developing. This really kicked off my passion for road safety-related projects and, since then, I have completed several other training courses as part of my work so that I can work on a wide range of safety-related projects and initiatives.

3. Can you tell us a little bit about the road safety and sustainable mobility situation in your area?
As of the middle of July, this year alone, 198 Australians 30 years old or younger have been killed on our roads. While the general trend of road deaths has been declining over the last couple of decades, in more recent years, the number of recorded deaths has been increasing. Fortunately, many of the projects that I’ve been working on around new and upgrading existing roads puts an emphasis on safety. As a result, the newer roads are usually built at a high standard for safety. However, Australia has many thousands of kilometers of roads where speeds are high and there are limited safety features on the road. This presents quite a challenge for local, state, and federal governments to upgrade all these roads.

On the sustainable mobility side, it is encouraging to see many local councils, particularly in urban areas, encouraging people to cycle by installing wide and safe bicycle lanes along roads. However, there are still many dangerous spots for both cyclists and pedestrians with narrow bicycle lanes and footpaths. Almost all major Australian cities are also seeing a boom in large public transport infrastructure projects which, apart from providing the obvious benefits for encouraging public transport usage, often involves road safety projects around stations and other pieces of new infrastructure.

4. Why do you think it's important to include young people in local and global road safety efforts?
I think the best people to communicate with young people are other young people! Therefore, having a group of young people who can champion road safety efforts will help spread support among other young people.

It is also important that everyone is part of the discussion around road safety initiatives so that they understand the risks and benefits of certain solutions. Transparency in the decision-making process is key when trying to address major issues in road safety. By working with different sections of the community, policymakers, engineers, and decision makers can make sure that the road safety initiatives they develop suit the needs of everyone in the community.

As young people are disproportionately represented in road crashes, it is important that we engage with those responsible for road safety initiatives to provide our perspective on what the issues are, and what can be done about them.

5. Why did you join the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety? 
I joined the Global Youth Coalition for Road Safety because I was keen to be part of a global community united by a passion for reducing death and serious injuries on roads. I am always interested in what is happening in other countries, and what I can learn from them and then apply to the work I do in Australia.

6. What are your comments on the Coalition? Its activities? Its opportunities?
I think the Coalition provides a great opportunity for people to share ideas and initiatives. Often initiatives that work in one area of the world can be adapted and applied elsewhere in the world. The Coalition also provides a good opportunity to build a strong, global network of young people that can support each other and offer advice on locally run initiatives.

7. Any messages for people who have not yet joined the coalition?
I would recommend that young people sign up to the Coalition and show that they care about road safety and that they would like to see action aimed at improving the road environment. Road safety is an issue that affects everyone, you don’t have to be disobeying the law, or doing anything silly to be killed or seriously injured on the road. Therefore, it is in everyone’s interest to advocate for improved road safety.