Data reveals young men and rural drivers most likely to face serious injury | Safety

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Data reveals young men and rural drivers most likely to face serious injury

Written by Nelson Ireson

Thursday, 24 July 2008

Whether behind the wheel or astride a push bike, men are more likely to be seriously injured on the road than their female counterparts. Figures released today by the Institute of Health and Welfare (IHW) take a survey of data collected between 2005 and 2006 and analyse the results, comparing injury rates for gender, age, road user type and other factors.

The reasons for the higher incidence of injury among men are varied, but a higher proportion of motorcyclists and pedal cyclists among the male population is a major contributing factor. Additionally, drivers between the ages of 20-24 - both male and female - are most likely to be seriously injured on the road. Whether that's due to more frequent road use, greater distances travelled or other factors, however, isn’t clear.

Other contributing forces at work
A recent study concerning the proportion of accidents in relation to average distance from home showed similar results across age groups, with younger drivers more likely to be involved in accidents and for those accidents to be further from home. That may indicate a pattern of more extensive road use and therefore a greater number of hours on the road that could explain part of the disproportionate share of injury.

Similarly, the IHW study takes into account accidents for all types of road users, from motorcyclists and passenger cars to pedal cyclists and pedestrians. While the data separates out the individual road user types, the overall data reflects inclusion of the full spectrum of road use.

Another consideration is the ratio of professional drivers and people whose work requires them to drive frequently. That information is completely absent from the study, and with the high proportion of males among tradespeople, truckies and taxi drivers, it’s another avenue for skewed results to creep into the mix.

Still a valid picture of the overall state of the roads
Despite the difficulty in using the data surveyed to point at any single age group or gender as ‘better’ or ‘worse’ drivers, the results do present the bigger picture of road safety throughout the country. For example, comparisons between states and territories show that motorcyclists in Queensland, Tasmania and the Northern Territories are at greater risk of injury than the national average, whereas those in the remainder of the states are at less risk.

Rates of injury in automobile accidents reflect similar variations. Victorian and Northern Territory drivers are at the highest risk, with 89 and 95 serious injuries per 100,000 population, respectively. The safest states, at least in terms of likelihood of injury, are Western Australian and Queensland, rated at 67 and 59 injuries per 100,000 population, respectively. The remainder of the states were all within a few points of 77 per 100,000.

For serious injuries with a high threat to life, a state-by-state comparison shows a different picture, however. South Australia and the Northern Territories both rank significantly above the national average for overall injury rates, while Western Australia, the ACT and New South Wales all rank near 40 instances of life-threatening crashes per 100,000 population, compared to the high-risk figures of 52 for SA and 78 for NT.

Government attempting to address issue
The government is taking steps to reduce the number of road crashes resulting in injury and death by investigation the introduction of a national stability control mandate that would require all carmakers to install ESC (electronic stability control) in all vehicles as standard equipment. The initiative is part of a global drive by safety advocates to implement the best in vehicle safety technology and reduce the world’s road death toll. If the program is adopted, legislation could be in place by the end of the year.

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