Summary

Road crashes are an avoidable cause of premature mortaIity and morbidity. Strategies to reduce the number of crashes are often subject to cost-benefit analyses in order to determine where scarce resources are best spent. However, the measure of benefit in these studies is often inadequate, being based on the avoidance of lost production of those killed or injured, savings in hospital costs, or savings in insurance payments. Ideally benefits should be assessed in a manner comparable with costs, such that a cost-benefit analysis may be undertaken.

Summary

This report aims to identify effective and practicable strategies to reduce driver fatigue in the long distance bus and coach industry. Information was collected using consultations with industry representatives and a survey of 250 drivers, to determine the extent of the problem and attitudes to a range of possible solutions. Results are analysed across a range of different operational and employment conditions.

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Summary

This study of a Drink Drive Education Program conducted by the Warrnambool Regional Association for Alcohol and Drug Dependence Inc. (WRAADD) between April 1, 1991 and March 30, 1992 produced a profile of an average drink drive offender from a rural community. Some trends can be seen. The drink drive offenders are male, young and capable of achieving high blood alcohol levels (BACs) and then considering themselves fit to drive. Few relationships were found between predicted indicators of problem drinking.

Summary

The purpose of the project was to document and evaluate current Australian practice in the assessment of drivers with disabilities.

Summary

This report discusses the implementation of a new procedure called Truncated Ordinal Regression (TOR). The technique is more general and efficient than the existing methods. It allows for an ordinal scale of injury such as uninjured, severe injury, dead.

Summary

A study of 813 child bicycle injury presentations at Brisbane's hospitals between April 1991 and June 1992 inclusive. A self-administered questionnaire completed by the caregiver of any child 14 years and under, who presented to the Accident and Emergency Department of five of Brisbane's major hospitals. This requested demographic details, accident, injury, safety helmet ownership and wearing details. It also requested information about parent's educational level and whether the helmet slipped or came off during the accident.

Summary

This report comprises quantitative analyses of the 1988 FORS Fatality File and reviews of original documentation to provide descriptions of the role of the following causal variables in fatal crashes: fatigue, speeding, alcohol (>.05 and less than .15, >.15), young (17-20 and 21-25) and elderly roadusers (>65). The 1988 Fatality File, contains details of each of the 2560 fatal crashes, resulting in 2875 fatalities that occurred in Australia in that year.

Summary

This report details the use of a scientific approach to synthesise the results of a large number (87) of evaluated road safety mass media campaigns. The approach adopted involved the use of Meta Analysis techniques which provides a means of reconciling conflicting findings and allows for a more rigorous approach to synthesis by statistically attempting to develop generalisations across all categories of interest.

Summary

The aims of the study were to determine the role of optimism bias and risk utility in risk taking on the road, test the egocentrism account of optimism bias and the effects of vehicle insurance on optimism bias.

Summary

An important part of the speed review recently undertaken for the Road Safety Bureau, Roads and Traffic Authority N.S.W. in conjunction with the Federal Office of Road Safety was a meeting of 45 Australian experts with research, government authority, and motoring backgrounds, as well as a keynote speaker from Sweden, to identify current problems and issues in Australia. The workshop encompassed six keynote addresses on speed research and current issues and developments in N.S.W., Victoria, and overseas.