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International pedestrian Road Transport Safety performance

Australias pedestrian fatalities with other OECD nations between 1990 and 1997. The comparisons are drawn taking into account the population and level of motorisation of the countries reported. Pedestrian fatalities per 100 000 population The number of road deaths for every 100 000 population is a measure of the public health risk associated with road use. Table 1 within the report shows that pedestrian road safety in Australia compares unfavourably on this basis, with a number of OECD nations.

Australia had 1.78 pedestrian road fatalities per 100 000 population in 1997, slightly above the median for the OECD as a whole (1.68). Within Australia, in 1997, Tasmania had the lowest rate with no pedestrian fatalities per 100 000, whilst the Northern Territory had the highest rate at 9.09 per 100 000. Only in Tasmania, ACT and South Australia was the pedestrian fatality rate below the OECD median.

Fatigue management programs in the road transport industry

Fatigue and fatigue management has attracted considerable interest in the long distance road transport industry over the last few years because it has been acknowledged increasingly as one of the industry's major problems. The research that has occurred because of this interest has clarified a number of aspects of the problem. Most notably it has shown that regulatory approaches that are generic and attempt to limit working hours and manage rest in a "one size fits all" approach is not necessarily the best approach (Williamson, Feyer, Coumarelos and Jenkins, 1992; Feyer, Williamson, Jenkin and Higgins, 1993; Arnold, Hartley, Penna, Hochstadt, Corry, & Feyer, 1996). Not only are such approaches difficult to implement and police, surveys of drivers and the industry indicate that regulatory approaches are unlikely to succeed because they do not accommodate the differing needs for rest between individual drivers or the differing operational needs of companies.

With the introduction by Queensland Department of Transport of an alternative compliance approach, the Fatigue Management Programme, the focus has moved to increasing the flexibility available to companies and drivers to manage fatigue in ways that suit them, rather than trying to match their work demands to the working hours regulations. The programme attempts to encourage companies to take a primary role in planning for fatigue management by developing Fatigue Management Programmes (FMP'S) for work-rest scheduling on particular routes. While this approach is clearly in harmony with the findings of the research on fatigue, it has some fundamental difficulties, most notably because there is very little information available on what constitutes effective alternative work-rest schedules in comparison to the working hours regulations. If the FMPs are to be useful, it is imperative that the work-rest schedules they allow offer no loss in the ability of drivers to manage fatigue, and preferably that they improve fatigue management.

One way of improving the effectiveness of the FMP approach is to develop a range of model work-rest schedules that have demonstrated effectiveness for managing fatigue. These models can then help in designing work-rest schedules that provide additional flexibility for companies and drivers to meet their operational needs, but still manage driver fatigue most effectively. The aim of this project was to begin to develop some model work-rest schedules by evaluating work-rest schedules that had been operating under the current regulated regime and some FMP approaches that had been allowed to begin operating under the pilot FMP scheme.

Conclusions

This project has demonstrated that evaluation of work-rest schedules using standardised and sensitive methods for measuring fatigue is an effective approach to fatigue management. The results have identified work-rest schedules which have demonstrated capacity to manage fatigue as well as identifying the features of work-rest schedules which need to be modified to ensure that fatigue is maintained at the lowest possible levels.

Evaluation of the current working hours regime suggests that provided drivers are rested to begin with, one full cycle of the regulated regime does not produce fatigue or performance capacity decrements that are of concern for safety. There is considerable evidence however that performance decrements increase significantly as the schedule becomes more demanding. This is a warning signal for the development of alternative approaches to ensure that schedules are designed that do not simply increase the demands on drivers. The evidence from both evaluations of alternative FMP approaches reinforces these conclusions as the results for both alternative compliance schedules suggested that they increased the demands on drivers, but did not balance them sufficiently with rest in order to allow recuperation and recovery from accumulated fatigue. These results do not mean that the working hours regulatory regime is the only satisfactory approach to managing fatigue. The results show clearly that it is possible to increase trip length to 16 hours, say, and still maintain good performance levels. It is not possible, however, to continue to do 16 hour trips without a longer break than is usually allowed, even in the regulated regime.

The challenge for the road transport industry now is to use information like this and build on it to provide better guidance to drivers and companies on how to trade-off work and rest safely. These evaluations show that greater flexibility in scheduling is possible, but that it needs to be evaluated carefully. The development of model work-rest schedules that have been evaluated is clearly one way of assisting the industry down the path of better fatigue management.

Australia's international road transport safety

The number of deaths for every 10 000 registered vehicles is a method of comparing road fatalities taking into account the level of motorisation.

Road fatalities relative to vehicle ownership have declined significantly in Australia since 1975.

In 1975, there were 5.8 deaths per 10 000 registered vehicles in Australia, in 1998 this had decreased to 1.5

The median rate for the OECD nations reported has also declined. In 1975, the OECD median was 7.2, by 1998 it was 2.0

For the years reported, Australia’s rate ofdeath per 10 000 registered vehicles is below that reported for the OECD median.

In 1998, Australia recorded 1.5 deaths per 10 000 registered vehicles. Australia ranked equal 6th of the 27 OECD nations for which this information was available.

Sweden had the lowest rate recording 1.2 deaths per 10 000 registered vehicles.

Korea, with 8.0 deaths per 10 000 registered vehicles, had the highest rate of the OECD nations.

The number of deaths for every 100 000 of population is a measure of the public health risk associated with road use.

The public health risk associated with road use has declined significantly in Australia since 1975.

In 1975 there were 26.6 deaths per 100 000 population in Australia, in 1998 this had decreased to 9.4.

The median rate for the OECD nations reported has also declined. In 1975, the OECD median was 18.4, by 1998 it was 11.0.

In 1998, Australia recorded 9.4 road deaths per 100 000 population. Australia ranked equal 8th of the 27 OECD nations for which this information was available.

Sweden had the lowest rate, recording 6.0 deaths per 100 000 population.

Korea, with 22.6 deaths per 100 000 population, had the highest rate of the OECD nations.

Reduction of Road Transport Related Optimism Bias and Risk Taking

Optimism bias regarding road-related optimism bias may contribute to road deaths and injuries by increasing risk-taking on the road. Because driver training courses may worsen road-related optimism bias, components of driver training courses which seek to reduce this bias are important. Although optimism bias is difficult to reduce, techniques developed and evaluated during this research program appear to have some promise. Further, a session of a driver training program (the 'Low Risk Driving Course') designed to combat optimism bias appears to have comparable efficacy. These approaches share two important components: teaching drivers to have a realistic view of their past experience, and motivating them to think realistically in order to minimize their crash risk. Further research is required to promote a better understanding of road-related optimism bias and to refine techniques which reduce it.