Motor vehicle crashes consistently emerge from the travel medicine literature as the most common cause of injury death for tourists, yet worldwide there has been very little empirical research into the factors contributing to such crashes. In some respects this is not surprising - crashes involving overseas visitors usually represent only a small proportion of any jurisdiction's annual road toll. Nonetheless, there is a growing awareness of this issue in Australia, particularly in response to the increase in tourists that will accompany the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Consequently, an analysis was undertaken of all reported crashes involving international drivers that occurred in Queensland between 1993 and 1998. The results support the growing body of evidence suggesting that overseas driver crashes are less likely to involve high risk driving behaviours such as alcohol or speeding. Rather, they appear to be the product of unfamiliarity with Australian driving conditions. In particular, international drivers were overrepresented in crashes where disorientation may have been a factor, including 'failure to keep left' and 'head-on' crashes. This was most pronounced among drivers from countries where they drive on the right side of the road. The implications of these findings for countermeasure development are discussed. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E202275.
Abstract