In rural and remote Australia, per capita risk of death or injury from a vehicle crash is substantially higher than that for urban areas. With three years of rural and remote crash data collection completed, findings indicate driver behaviour and attitude are contributing factors in a majority of crashes, and the sole cause in a large proportion of these. Over 380 patients admitted to a major North Queensland hospital for at least 24 hours following a vehicle crash consented to an interview in which a structured questionnaire was administered. This paper reports on responses to questions regarding seatbelt and helmet use, speeding, alcohol consumption and self-reported drink-driving. We also analyse desired changes in enforcement of particular road laws, as well as perceived effectiveness of specific interventions using a 1-5 rating scale. Seeking to further identify potential links between behaviour, attitude and crash involvement, the study compares responses of hospitalised patients with those of other road users in specific crash vicinities. Development of more effective interventions targeting attitude and behaviour is essential if crashes and their impacts are to be significantly reduced in rural and remote Australia. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E216178.
Abstract