Widen Median Strips to Prevent Head-on Crashes: Ron Moon

While wire crash barriers would obviously be the most effective, but expensive, method to separate opposing traffic lanes, Moon said, but painting wider median strips on bad stretches of road and highways had also proved to be effective.

“For the last couple of years or so, the SA Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure have been trialling a near 1-metre wide median strip with a double line marking along the Duke Highway,” he said. “It seems to be working and I think it’s a bloody good idea and one that should be taken up all over the country.”

Near Gympie, Qld, a metre-wide painted median strip had been saving lives on a stretch of road that previously saw one fatal crash every week, according to Moon.

The Calder Highway, Vic, and the A3 between Tailem Bend, SA, and the SA/Vic border were two such roads Moon said would benefit massively from wider separations.

“It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to know that head-on crashes on the open road, where both vehicles are doing around 100kph for a closing speed of 200kph, are very horrific,” he said.

“So let’s make our roads safer and change the way we mark our major country roads. Let’s put wire barriers on some roads where they are deemed necessary, but I reckon we should be changing the way we simply line mark all our single lane highways – wherever they are. It wouldn't be all that expensive and it would save lives!”