Surviving the Holidays

 

As Parliamentary Secretary for Transport, I know the statistic backwards: over 1,300 Australians dead on our roads this past year, over 100 people every month or four people every single day. And that doesn’t include the 90 people each day who have had their lives drastically altered by serious injury sustained in a crash.

But road death statistics to many people almost do not seem real anymore. We hear about the latest crash night after night on the news.  I think we have almost become immune to the message.  It is almost as if it’s not until death comes knocking at the door that we actually stop and think about safer driving, and by then it’s too late.

Occasionally we are given a reminder of what could have been—a speeding fine or a close call—and we are immediately frustrated with the expense, or shake our heads at the incompetence of other road users, or sometimes ourselves.

As many of you celebrate Christmas Day next weekend spare a thought for those families who now have a vacant seat at the dinner table resulting from a road crash.

A seat where somebody’s brother or sister, mum or dad, husband or wife, once laughed, loved and shared the beauty of being together during the holiday season.

For some, their loved ones died years ago, for others more recently.  If previous years are anything to go by, many more Australian’s will die on our roads during the coming two week holiday period.

Tragically, road trauma is the leading cause of death for young adults worldwide.  In Australia, young adults are significantly over-represented in road crashes; they make up almost 14 per cent of driver’s licence holders but are involved in one quarter of all serious crashes.  Last year, 336 young Australians aged between 17 and 25 died on our roads.

This is a real tragedy.  Simply put, we cannot afford to lose our young people through avoidable road crashes.

The horrible reality is that more Australians will join these numbers this holiday season.  What makes this tragedy all the more difficult to bear is that this road carnage is avoidable.

In the last two decades, unintended driver error, excessive speed, alcohol and drugs continue to be the most frequently recorded major factors in fatal crashes in Australia. 

Most of us understand that the faster we go, the more likely we are to crash and the greater our risk of serious injury or death. It is pretty simple.

Less obvious is the fact that quite small changes in travel speed result in much larger changes in crash risk.  The research evidence is unequivocal on this point.  A speed increase of just 5 km/h on urban roads literally doubles the likelihood of involvement in a serious crash.

Regardless of other contributing factors, the decision to travel at a certain speed has a profound effect on the chances of a crash—and on the force of impact when a crash does occur.

Thirty four percent of deaths on our roads involve a speeding vehicle.

In the same way as making the decision to speed can be fatal, choosing to drink and drive can have equally tragic consequences.

Thirty percent of deaths on our roads involve a drunk driver.

And while most of us remember to buckle up every trip, the statistics tell us that many people continue to die in road crashes because they were not wearing a seatbelt.

Twenty eight percent of fatally injured vehicle occupants are not wearing a seatbelt.

There are also those instances where the driver survives.  Yet, their mate or fellow Australian does not.

While there has been a significant reduction in the number of fatalities on Australia’s roads, there is still a lot to do.  Commonwealth, State and Territory Government’s have this year launched a new National Road Safety Strategy’s target to cut road deaths and serious injuries by at least 30 per cent by 2020. 

This Strategy represents a national commitment to making our roads safer and brings together Commonwealth, State and Territory resources dedicated to making this happen.

Reducing death and injury on our roads is undoubtedly one of the 21st Century’s greatest challenges.

Government’s have a job to do—as does anyone who plans or builds a road, designs a vehicle, gets behind the wheel of a car or simply walks or rides along the street.

All of us can work together to reduce road trauma—we must.

In the lead up to Christmas I encourage everyone to stick to the basics.  Avoid drink driving, keep to the speed limit, take regular breaks, wear your seatbelt and don’t misuse mobile phones.

Just use plain common sense. 

These basic driving rules will greatly reduce the possibility of a serious crash and will mean more of us will get to enjoy Christmas safely, together with our loved ones.

Common sense may be the difference between life and death.