Impact of road trauma and measures to improve outcomes

In 2014 the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) reviewed the impacts of road trauma and produced a report. The review commissioned consultation with road safety experts to evaluate different road safety approaches, both internationally and domestically. 

The report provided a stocktake of ways that road safety experts believed deaths and serious injuries on our roads could be reduced, including: 

• encouraging safer driving behaviours  
• building safer road systems  
• the uptake of safer vehicles including safety technologies. 

The analysis focussed on 4 priorities identified by road safety experts:  

• infrastructure
• safer intersections
• distraction from mobile phones
• autonomous emergency braking.  

Key findings included

Roadside barriers:  

• Roadside barriers, median barriers and rumble strips reduce road trauma but need to be implemented in line with road conditions to maximise road safety benefits. 
• Roadside barriers can have negative impacts on some road users, notably motorcyclists.  

Reduced speed limits:

• Lower speed limits would have an impact on both the number and severity of crashes by lowering casualty rates, reducing the severity of injuries and avoiding some crashes by facilitating evasive action. 
• Lower speed limits may increase travel times on uncongested roads. 

Intersection treatments:

• Intersection treatments can be very effective, with roundabouts particularly effective–reducing casualty crashes by over 70%. 
• Significant evidence showed roundabouts bring large benefits compared with unsignalised intersections, although there is limited evidence that roundabouts are safer than signalisation for low traffic volumes. 

Mobile phone strategy: 

• Mobile devices may be a factor in 7% of crashes. In 2013, 7% of crashes accounted for 83 deaths and 2,300 hospitalised injuries. 
• Mobile phone distraction was equal 5^th in the final rankings of the identified road safety related measures. 

Autonomous emergency braking (AEB): 

• AEB would save lives as it was introduced to the vehicle fleet. 
• Technology in light vehicles was expected to save over 1,200 lives and prevent 54,000 hospitalised injuries by 2033. 

Updates since 2014 

• AEB was made mandatory in new cars in Australia from 2023.  
• According to a 2023 report from the Monash University Accident Research Centre: “If there was 100% fitment of AEB in Australia, the technology would lead to an estimated reduction of 8% of fatalities, 12% of serious injuries and 12% of minor injuries. Annually, this translates to a reduction of 126 fatalities, 3,731 serious injuries and 11,017 minor injuries.”¹ 
• Mobile phones and other in-car technologies have evolved quickly since this 2014 study. While these technologies have potential safety benefits, distraction remains a significant risk for drivers. There would be value in developing strategies to quantify and manage these risks. 

About the data 

The report is based on data up to 2013. The full report is available at Impact of Road Trauma and Measures to Improve Outcomes.(Opens in a new tab/window) 

References

1. Monash University (29 March 2023) ‘MUARC report shows potential for Autonomous Emergency Braking to reduce road fatalities(Opens in a new tab/window)’, Monash University Accident Research Centre, accessed 22 August 2024.