Summary

This is the fourteenth in a series of annual surveys of community attitudes and perceptions towards a range of road safety issues. Findings from this 2001 Community Attitudes Survey (CAS 14) were derived from telephone interviews with a national sample of 1,550 Australian residents aged 15 years and over. A summary of the main findings from the 2001 survey, along with a description of emerging trends and patterns, is provided below. More detailed results are provided in the main body of this report.

Summary

This monograph provides information on the incidence of alcohol intoxication amongst drivers, motorcycle riders and pedestrians involved in fatal road crashes during 1998.

Shipowners are generally entitled to limit their liability in respect of claims arising from damage caused by their ships. This means that if a ship is involved in an incident which causes damage to persons, property or the environment, there is a limit on the maximum amount of compensation that a court can order the shipowner to pay. The maximum liability of a shipowner is usually calculated based on the size of the ship involved in the incident and has no relationship to the amount of damage caused by the incident.

Summary

The increasing incidence of cardiovascular disease and subsequent depressive symptoms has highlighted the potential for concomitant treatment of b-blockers and antidepressant medication. It has been noted that both types of medications are associated with decrements in psychomotor and cognitive performance.

Summary

This project assessed the impact of a number of work-related factors on coach drivers" well-being and performance using a survey completed by 108 drivers. A fatigue management training program based on realistic, difficult scenarios commonly faced by coach drivers was developed to assist drivers to develop more effective coping strategies.

Summary

This publication provides information on the incidence and characteristics of bus crashes in Australia. It examines the number of bus occupants fatally injured or hospitalised within Australia. The relative safety of bus occupants was also compared with other vehicle occupant safety. Additionally, the report examines crash site and temporal characteristics of bus crashes, and the characteristics of people involved in bus crashes.

Summary

The purpose of this study was to examine whether residents born overseas had higher rates of death and hospital separation due to road crashes than those born in Australia. This study followed earlier research into the driving behaviour among women in Australia, where the self reported rate of motor vehicle accidents was significantly higher among those born in a non-English speaking country (BNESC), (Dobson, Brown, Ball, Powers & McFadden, 1999).

Summary

In many studies a relationship between vibration and fatigue has been assumed without supporting research, and often based only on anecdotal evidence. The study of fatigue as it relates to vibration is complex and there is limited research available. However, the literature review has identified a few studies showing a possible association between fatigue and low frequency vibration that is typical of the vibration frequencies experienced by truck drivers. These findings could form the basis of further research in this area.

Summary

This report presents the findings of the project "Improved Shock Absorbing Liner for Helmets". A special tool was developed to produce flat samples of foam made of either the new design or the current design. A total of 161 flat foam samples were manufactured and tested to the Australian Standard for motorcycle and bicycle helmets. This included 100 samples with new design and 61 samples with current design.

Summary

Optimism bias regarding road-related optimism bias may contribute to road deaths and injuries by increasing risk-taking on the road. Because driver training courses may worsen road-related optimism bias, components of driver training courses which seek to reduce this bias are important. Although optimism bias is difficult to reduce, techniques developed and evaluated during this research program appear to have some promise.