As the excitement builds with the Easter break almost here, one of the country’s busiest times on the road begins. This is especially so given the timing of Easter this year means 2 short work weeks with Anzac Day falling next Thursday. Easter is unfortunately a dangerous time on our roads. So what are the top 5 causes of car accidents and what should you be mindful of if you are heading off on a holiday adventure.
- Speed
Speeding is not simply driving faster than the prescribed speed limit. It also includes driving too fast when consideration is had to the weather, traffic and road conditions prevailing at the time of travel. Speeds just over 5 km per hour above the speed limit in urban areas, and 10 km per hour in rural areas, are sufficient to double the risk of a casualty crash. This is roughly the equivalent to the increased risk associated with a blood alcohol reading 0.05 (Source – Australian Transport Council. (2014). National Road Safety Action Plan 2015-2017).
2. Fatigue
Don’t forget to Stop, Revive and Survive on your car journeys, especially those long trips which are not uncommon in a country as vast as ours. Fatigue is not discriminatory and can affect anyone. Sleepiness on the road contributes to 20-30% of all deaths and severe injuries on our roads (Source – Australian Transport Council. (2011). National Road Safety Strategy 2011- 2020).
3. Distraction
This is now a major contributor to car crashes. There are many types of distraction but the most common now is mobile phone use. Almost without exception all drivers own mobile phones which accompany them on all car trips. Smart phones allow access to the internet and emails as you are driving. The temptation remains for many drivers to check their smart phones when they are travelling. Despite the fact using a mobile phone whist driving is illegal and highly dangerous, approximately 61% of drivers have admitted to using their mobile phone to talk or text (Source – Petroulias, T.(2014). Community attitudes to road safety: 2013 survey report. Canberra: Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development).
4. Alcohol
Drink driving remains a major contributor to road fatalities and accidents in Australia, despite the Blood Alcohol Concentration limit being in place for over 25 years. Numerous studies have been undertaken to demonstrate the adverse effects of alcohol on driving. At last year’s Ekka (Royal Queensland Show for the non Queenslanders among us) my 13 year old put on the Queensland Police Department’s virtual reality “drunk goggles” to see how his balance was affected whilst wearing them. He was shocked to say the least. Despite the prevalence of road side breath testing, drink driving remains a major cause of car accidents.
5. Drugs
As television shows such as RBT demonstrate, the use of drugs among drivers, is on the rise, and now plays as significant a risk on our roads as does alcohol. Driving under the influence of drugs can slow down reaction times, dull the thinking process, cause a distorted view of time and distance, reduce attention spans, cause increased aggressive tendencies and increase the risk of sudden fatigue.
So as we all gear up for our Easter break remember to drive safely so we all survive the drive.
