The state of road safety for Aboriginal Australians: interventions and post-crash needs

Aboriginal car occupants are 2.9 times more likely to die than other Australians if involved in a car crash, and Aboriginal pedestrians are 5.5 more times at risk. These figures are most likely understated as Indigenous status is not always recorded at the time of an incident. The extended nature of Aboriginal families means that a large number of people are affected by the injury /fatal injury of an Aboriginal individual. A range of methods have been used to develop this research. A literature review on what has been achieved in Aboriginal Road Safety and the issues that have been identified is presented. In a second part of the research, interviews with five Aboriginal men were conducted to investigate the needs of Aboriginal people for post-crash interventions. Participants were recruited using a snowballing technique and all worked in health or health related positions in Western Australia. Interviews were conducted using a semi structured process that allowed the respondents to provide their own views and experiences of road trauma. A range of initiatives in relation to road safety were identified across Australia and in particular in Western Australia where approximately 70 per cent of Aboriginal residents live in remote communities. In response to the information provided by Aboriginal respondents a series of vignettes were developed to present the issues that can affect Aboriginal people as a result of road trauma. More collaborative work needs to be undertaken within Aboriginal communities to develop an understanding of road trauma and to develop culturally appropriate interventions that reduce the effects of crashes on Aboriginal people. Aboriginal people also require culturally appropriate post-crash support.

• Record URL:
  http://acrs.org.au/publications/conference-papers/database/
• Authors:
  • Ferguson, C
  • Segre, A
• Conference:
  • Australasian Road Safety Research Policing Education Conference, 2012, Wellington, New Zealand
• Publication Date: 2012-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 10p
• Monograph Title: Reducing the cost of road safety: Australasian Road Safety Research, Policing and Education Conference 2012, 4-6 October 2012, Wellington, New Zealand

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crash rates; Human factors; Indigenous peoples; Rural areas; Stress (Psychology)
• Uncontrolled Terms: Interviews; Safe systems (road users)
• Geographic Terms: Australia; Western Australia
• ATRI Terms: Crash rate; Human factors; Human stress; Indigenous Australian; Rural area
• ITRD Terms: 1661: Accident prevention
• Subject Areas: Safety and Human Factors; I83: Accidents and the Human Factor;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01481715
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: ARRB
• Files: ITRD, ATRI
• Created Date: May 21 2013 10:43AM