On 1 January 2001 it became illegal to ride in the open load space of vehicles without rollover cages in Western Australia. On 1 January 2004 the Department of Planning and Infrastructure ceased to authorise the fitting of rollover cages, and from 1 January 2006 there will be a blanket prohibition on travel in open load spaces. The regulation of travel in the open load space of vehicles was introduced because of concerns over the deaths and injuries resulting from this dangerous practice. This paper examines the impact of the partial ban on riding in open load spaces in Western Australia and represents an interim evaluation of the project. Additionally, this paper focuses on the impact of the partial ban on Aboriginal road safety. Aboriginal people are over-represented in road crashes involving open load space travel. In recognition of this, the Office of Road Safety developed an education campaign on the forthcoming ban on open load space travel aimed at indigenous audiences in Western Australia. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E214057. Printed volume contains peer-reviewed papers. CD-ROM contains submitted papers.
Abstract