Risk factors for fatal crashes in rural Australia

Abstract

This paper presents findings from the rural and remote road safety study, conducted in Queensland, Australia, from March 2004 till June 2007, and compares fatal crashes and non-fatal but serious crashes in respect of their environmental, vehicle and operator factors. During the study period there were 613 non-fatal crashes resulting in 684 hospitalised casualties and 119 fatal crashes resulting in 130 fatalities. Additional information from police sources was available on 103 fatal and 309 non-fatal serious crashes. Over three quarters of both fatal and hospitalised casualties were male and the median age in both groups was 34 years. Fatal crashes were more likely to involve speed, alcohol and violations of road rules and fatal crash victims were 2½ times more likely to be unrestrained inside the vehicle than non-fatal casualties, consistent with current international evidence. After controlling for human factors, vehicle and road conditions made a minimal contribution to the seriousness of the crash outcome. Targeted interventions to prevent fatalities on rural and remote roads should focus on reducing speed and drink driving and promoting seatbelt wearing.

The Role of Alcohol in Road Traffic Accidents With Fatal Outcome: 10-Year Period in Croatia Split–Dalmatia County

“…Similar results were found in other studies. In Queensland between 2004and 2007, Siskind et al (2011 found that 75 percent of fatally injured drivers in traffic accidents were male, and their median age was 34. Turner and McClure (2003) conducted a study with 685 male and female victims aged 17 to 88 years.…”

“…The time delay between identifying an event and executing an operation is longer (Sutlovic et al 2011). Numerous studies have shown that drinking is a major factor for mortality in road traffic accidents (Clarke et al 2010;de Carvalho et al 2011;Siskind et al 2011).…”

An Official American Thoracic Society Clinical Practice Guideline: Sleep Apnea, Sleepiness, and Driving Risk in Noncommercial Drivers. An Update of a 1994 Statement

“…The number of crashes and severity of injury by distance driven are highest in young drivers (15-25 yr) and in those over the age of 65 years (2,3). Fatality reduction currently targets increasing seat belt use and reducing speeding and alcohol (4,5). However, inattentiveness, fatigue, and sleepiness are increasingly recognized as contributing, and possibly primary, factors (4, 6).…”

Analyzing the continuum of fatal crashes: A generalized ordered approach

“…Several studies have also investigated the factors affecting the involvement in a fatal crash as a function of individual characteristics. The important individual behavioral determinants of fatal crashes include excessive speed, violation of traffic rules and lack of seat belt use (Siskind et al, 2011;Valent et al, 2002;Sivak et al, 2010;Viano and Parenteau, 2010). Other driver attributes such as aggressive driving behavior, unlicensed driving and distraction during driving are identified to be the most significant contributors of fatal crashes for young drivers (Lambert-Bélanger et al, 2012;Hanna et al, 2012;Chen et al, 2000).…”