Reduction in Fatalities, Ambulance Calls, and Hospital Admissions for Road Trauma After Implementation of New Traffic Laws

Brubacher, Jeffrey R.; Chan, Hock Chuan; Brasher, Penelope M. A.; Erdelyi, Shannon; Desapriya, Ediriweera B. R.; Asbridge, Mark; Purssell, Roy; Macdonald, Scott; Schuurman, Nadine; Pike, Ian

doi:10.2105/ajph.2014.302068

Cited by 36 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…The participants suggested strategies including larger financial penalties or consequences for those driving on closed roads, the use of new technologies to block the road such as barricades that respond to rising water and greater police presence during flood events. Implementing or increasing the severity of fines has been found to provide a deterrence effect for other risky behaviours such as speeding, and have also been found to significantly decrease road incidents and fatalities in some instances . Because the potential to increase police presence at flooded roads is limited, we suggest that installing fixed driver behaviour cameras in flood‐prone areas or the use of mobile camera vehicles may be an effective means of deterrence.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 91%

The lived experience of rescuing people who have driven into floodwater: Understanding challenges and identifying areas for providing support

Keech

Smith

Peden

et al. 2018

Health Prom J of Aust

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We propose five strategies for translating these results into practice, including: training and protocol development for (i) emergency personnel and (ii) telephone operators; (iii) training for rescuers regarding non-compliant rescuees; (iv) educating the public and (v) increasing compliance with closed roads. Current findings provide valuable insights into how rescuers can be supported in performing their roles, and implementation of these strategies has the potential to reduce fatalities occurring due to attempting to drive through floodwater. SO WHAT?: The strategies presented have the potential to reduce the frequency and improve the outcomes of floodwater rescues, aiding in the prevention of injury and death.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 91%

The lived experience of rescuing people who have driven into floodwater: Understanding challenges and identifying areas for providing support

Keech

Smith

Peden

et al. 2018

Health Prom J of Aust

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“…In 2013, a sustained 40% reduction in alcohol related road fatalities was confirmed by independent researchers (Macdonald et al, 2013). Our group conducted a time series analysis of the new laws and found a 21% decrease in all cause fatal crashes (mostly due to reduction in alcohol related crashes), an 8% decrease in hospital admissions for road trauma, and a 7% decrease in ambulance calls for road trauma (Brubacher et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…In July 2011, the government cited a 50% drop in impaired driving fatalities in the first 7 months after the laws were implemented compared to the average for the same months from the five previous years, and in November, 2011 they reported a 40% decline in impaired driving fatalities. The dramatic reduction in impaired driving fatalities was subsequently borne out by independent research (Macdonald et al, 2013;Brubacher et al, 2014), and was used to support the new laws during the court challenge. Editorials and other articles in favor of the new laws used these statistics to counter views that the laws were unfair or causing economic hardship: "B.C.…”

Section: Preventionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Media reporting of traffic legislation changes in British Columbia (2010)

Brubacher

Desapriya

Chan

et al. 2015

Accident Analysis & Prevention

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“…We fit separate linear regression models for each outcome and for each road segment group (affected, nearby, and all segments in the province). The models included the following covariates (when applicable): (1) Speed limit intervention, (2) other BC traffic law interventions (e.g., Immediate Roadside Prohibitions for drinking drivers-IRPs) [46], (3) gasoline sales, and (4) missing data percentage. The speed limit (July 2014) and IRP (October 2010) interventions were modelled with indicator variables and were both treated as abrupt and permanent.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Road Safety Impact of Increased Rural Highway Speed Limits in British Columbia, Canada

et al. 2018

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Control of vehicle speed is a central tenet of the safe systems approach to road safety. Most research shows that raising speed limits results in more injuries. Advocates of higher speed limits argue that this conclusion is based on older research, that traffic fatalities are decreasing despite higher speed limits, and that modern vehicles are able to safely travel at higher speeds. These arguments were used to justify raising speed limits on rural highways in British Columbia, Canada (July 2014). We used an interrupted time series approach to evaluate the impact of these speed limit increases on fatal crashes, auto-insurance claims, and ambulance dispatches for road trauma. Events were mapped to affected road segments (with increased speed limits) and to nearby road segments (within 5 km of an affected segment). Separate linear regression models were fitted for each outcome and road segment group. Models included gasoline sales to account for changes in vehicle travel. Our main findings were significant increases in (i) total insurance claims (43.0%; 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 16.0-76.4%), (ii) injury claims (30.0%; 95% CI = 9.5-54.2%), and (iii) fatal crashes (118.0; 95% CI = 10.9-225.1%) on affected road segments. Nearby segments had a 25.7% increase in insurance claims (95% CI = 16.1-36.1%). traffic speed, the rate of serious injury crashes to the third power, the rate of injury crashes to the second power, and the rate of property damage only crashes were proportionate to the first power of mean traffic speed [7]. According to this model, a 5% increase in mean traffic speed (e.g., from 100 to 105 kph), would result in a 22% increase in fatal crashes. Several meta-analyses found that Nilsson's "power model" is still a good fit for predicting the road trauma rate following speed limit changes on rural highways around the world [8][9][10].The relationship between speed and injury is complex [11]. Roads can be designed for safe, high speed travel by controlling access points, using barriers to separate opposing traffic and to prevent drivers from running off the road, providing adequate lane width and gradual curves, and including crash mitigation features [12][13][14][15]. Baruya analyzed speed and crash data from 139 European rural two lane highways and found a higher frequency of injury crashes in roads with more junctions (i.e., poorly controlled access) and/or narrower lanes, as well as roads with higher speed limits [16]. The role of road design is reflected in the risk of fatality after a crash on different types of high speed roads. French researchers found that crashes on rural highways were more than twice as likely to be fatal as crashes on high speed motorways. Motorways have median barriers to prevent head-on collisions and controlled access to prevent side impact (T-bone) collisions [17]. Crash mitigation features of the vehicle (e.g., airbags) or road (e.g., energy absorbing barriers) can also reduce injury severity following a collision. However, these measures are insufficient to prevent inj...

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Reduction in Fatalities, Ambulance Calls, and Hospital Admissions for Road Trauma After Implementation of New Traffic Laws

Abstract: These findings suggest that laws calling for immediate sanctions for dangerous drivers can reduce road trauma and should be supported.

Cited by 36 publications

References 28 publications

The lived experience of rescuing people who have driven into floodwater: Understanding challenges and identifying areas for providing support

The lived experience of rescuing people who have driven into floodwater: Understanding challenges and identifying areas for providing support

Media reporting of traffic legislation changes in British Columbia (2010)

Road Safety Impact of Increased Rural Highway Speed Limits in British Columbia, Canada

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