On the road to prevention: road injury and health promotion
Mark Stevenson A B and Jason Thompson AA Accident Research Centre, Monash University, Wellington Road, Clayton, Vic. 3800, Australia.
B Corresponding author. Email: mark.stevenson@monash.edu
Health Promotion Journal of Australia 25(1) 4-7 https://doi.org/10.1071/HE13075
Submitted: 8 September 2013 Accepted: 26 November 2013 Published: 16 April 2014
Abstract
Road traffic injuries are already the leading cause of injury mortality and morbidity globally and by 2030 are predicted to be the fifth leading cause of mortality in the world. Australia has seen a dramatic reduction in road deaths and serious injuries since the 1970s and holds an international reputation for road traffic injury prevention due, in part, to its success in pioneering the multidisciplinary and intersectoral approach needed to address this significant issue and by applying an evidence-led approach to policy development. The paper will discuss Australia’s early success in road traffic injury prevention (road safety), particularly the achievements following the implementation of targeted programs that focussed on road user behaviours for which health promotion played a role. The most successful of these programs was the introduction of comprehensive seat belt laws, random breath testing and more recently, strategic speed enforcement programs. Amid an array of significant challenges faced by the transport system in the future, the rapid development in information and communication technologies applied to transport is likely to provide the next generation of road safety benefits. The potential for a semi-autonomous transport system is likely to provide the next significant decline in road fatalities and serious injuries over the next 2 decades and the role of health promotion in relation to raising community engagement and building coalitions to increase uptake of new technologies will be discussed.
References
[1] Mathers CD, Loncar D (2006) Projections of global mortality and burden of disease from 2002 to 2030. PLoS Med 3, e442| Projections of global mortality and burden of disease from 2002 to 2030.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 17132052PubMed |
[2] Kopits E, Cropper M (2005) Traffic fatalities and economic growth. Accid Anal Prev 37, 169–78.
| Traffic fatalities and economic growth.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 15607288PubMed |
[3] Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine. Biography of John Lane. 2008. Available from: http://www.asam.org.au/about_us/john_lane_biography/Biography%20John%20Charles%20Lane%20AM.pdf [Verified 8 November 2013]
[4] Regan M, Oxley J, Godley S, Tingvall C. Intelligent transport systems: safety and human factors issues. Royal Automobile Club of Victoria; 2001.
[5] Cameron MH, Delaney A. Development of strategies for best practice in speed enforcement in Western Australia: Final Report. In Report to the Department of the Premier and Cabinet OoRS, Western Australia, editor. Melbourne: Monash University Accident Research Centre; 2006.
[6] Milne PW. Fitting and wearing of seat belts in Australia. The history of a successful countermeasure. Commonwealth of Australia, editor. 2nd edn. Canberra: Australian Government Publishing Service; 1985.
[7] Homel R, Carseldine D, Kearns I (1988) Drink driving countermeasures in Australia. Alcohol Drugs Driving 4, 113–44.
[8] Homel R, Wilson P. Death and injury on the road: critical issues for legislative action and law enforcement. Australian Institute of Criminology, editor. Canberra; 1987.
[9] Cameron MH, Haworth N, Oxley J, Newstead S, Le T. Evaluation of transport accident commission road safety television advertising. Melbourne: Monash University; 1993.
[10] Victorian Auditor General. Making travel safer: Victoria’s speed enforcement program. Melbourne: State Government of Victoria; 2006.
[11] BITRE. Effectiveness of measures to reduce road fatality rates. Department of Transport and Regional Services, editor.; 2010.
[12] BITRE. Road Deaths Australia, 2012 Statistical Summary. Department of Transport and Regional Services, editor. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia; 2013.
[13] The Social Research Centre. Victorian Transport Accident Commission Road Safety Monitor, 2012. Melbourne: The Social Research Centre; 2013.
[14] Pointer S. Trends in hospitalised injury, Australia: 1999–00 to 2010–11. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare; 2013.
[15] Ozguner U, Stiller C, Redmill K (2007) Systems for safety and autonomous behavior in cars: the DARPA grand challenge experience. Proc IEEE 95, 397–412.
| Systems for safety and autonomous behavior in cars: the DARPA grand challenge experience.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[16] Mason C, Mees P, Rose G (2000) Collection of three articles on transport and health. Health Promot J Austr 10, 190–205.
[17] Stevenson M, Jones S, Cross D, Howat P, Hall M (1996) The child pedestrian injury prevention project. Health Promot J Austr 6, 32–6.
[18] Langford J. Australasia’s Safe System approach to road safety. Canberra: Austroads; 2005.
[19] United Nations. World population to 2300. In Affairs DoEaS, editor. New York: United Nations Publications; 2004.
[20] United Nations. World population prospects: the 2010 revision. Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
[21] Commonwealth of Australia. State of Australian cities, 2012. In Department of Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.
[22] Health Effects Institute (HEI) panel on the health effects of traffic-related air pollution. Traffic-related air pollution: a critical review of the literature on emissions, exposure and health effects. HEI special report, 17. Boston, MA: Health Effects Institute; 2010.
[23] Milnes A, Pegrum K, Nebe B, et al. Young Australians: their health and wellbeing 2011. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, editor. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia; 2011.
[24] VicRoads. Keeping Victorians connected: VicRoads Annual Report 2010–2011. Melbourne: VicRoads; 2010.
[25] BITRE. Estimating urban traffic and congestion cost trends for Australian cities. Department of Transport and Regional Services, editor. Canberra: Government of Australia; 2007.
[26] Charter B (2006) The Bangkok charter for health promotion in a globalized world. Health Promot Int 21, 10–4.
| The Bangkok charter for health promotion in a globalized world.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar |
[27] Ward JE, Hughes A-M, Hirst GH, Winchester L (1997) Men’s estimates of prostate cancer risk and self-reported rates of screening. Med J Aust 167, 250–5.
[28] Redelmeier DA, McLellan BA (2013) Modern medicine is neglecting road traffic crashes. PLoS Med 10,
| Modern medicine is neglecting road traffic crashes.Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | 23776413PubMed |