Fainks Rossouw

ROAD SAFETY OF INTERNATIONAL ROAD USERS ON THE GOLD COAST

FAINKS ROSSOUWSenior Transport Planner

SMEC

12-15 August 2014

DR. DAVID LOGANSenior Research FellowMonash University Accident Research Centre

• Introduction

– Scope and reason for the study

– Broad methodology

• Literature Review

– What was reviewed

– Main themes

– Findings

• Data Analysis

– Data sources

– Findings

• Interventions


• Background

– City of Gold Coast hosting 2018 Commonwealth Games

– Increase in international visitors

– What does this mean for Road Safety

– What are the appropriate responses

• Scope

– Identify differences in the road safety of international road users compared to

non-visitors;

– Identify reasons and contributing factors behind the differences;

– Identify intervention options that can most usefully be applied to address the

deficiencies in safety

Introduction

• Methodology

– Literature review

– Review of selected primary data

• Road safety at or near venues

• Road safety in general

– Best or most effective responses to address different risk profiles

Introduction

• International Visitors and Road Safety

– Limited data

– Relatively small numbers of visitor deaths on Australian roads overall

– Tourists not being identified as a separate user group

– A general reluctance by the tourism industry to highlight health and safety issues

– Lack of a legal requirement to warn visitors of the risks associated with driving on Australian roads (unlike many other areas of tourist activity)

Literature Review

• Motorcyclists and Pedestrians

– Those born overseas were no more likely to be involved in serious road crashes than those born in Australia

– Even though drivers and passengers were no more likely to be involved in serious crashes, pedestrians were significantly more at risk

– Possible explanations include the lack of spatial risk cues for pedestrians

Literature Review

• Fatigue

– Contributing factor in 4.2% of serious crashes for international visitors, compared to only 2.2% for Australian drivers.

• Unfamiliar surroundings

– International drivers were more likely to be involved in serious crashes involving failure to keep left and head on collisions than local drivers –Different side of the road

– Failure to keep left contributing factor in 9.4% of serious crashes between for international visitors, compared to only 2.1% for Australian drivers.

– Fatigue and failure to keep left present higher factors than unfamiliar vehicles

Literature Review

• Disorientation - significant difference in the percentage of crashes involving international visitors for the following types of crashes

• Angle crashes

• Sideswipe crashes

• Head on crashes

• Single vehicle hit object type crashes

• Other risk factors

– Speeding was not found to be a risk factor in international visitors’ behaviour

– International drivers were less likely to be involved in crashes where alcohol was a contributing factor

– More likely not to wear a seatbelt than Australian drivers

Literature Review

• Rugby World Cup

– NZ 2012

– Auckland and Wellington

• No trends for crashes in the vicinity of the World Cup Venues

• No trends looking at vehicle license types

– High risk factors.

• Crashes around RWC venues (Auckland and Wellington) and in all of NZ for high risk crash factors (Unfamiliar conditions and fatigue) - Sept to October

Data Analysis

2010 2011 2012

Auckland RWC venue 2 1 2

Wellington RWC venue 1 1 3

All of NZ 238 229 222

• Crashes involving international visitors - Brisbane and the Gold Coast

– Crashes per Year – Brisbane and Gold Coast City

Data Analysis

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Brisbane City – All Crashes 6,135 5,928 6,049 5,838 5,830 - -

Brisbane City – Serious Crashes 1,312 1,339 1,411 1,395 1,401 1,271 1,261

Gold Coast City – All Crashes 2,059 2,226 2,402 2,370 2,248 - -

Gold Coast City – Serious

Crashes

557 571 602 593 562 521 526

• Crashes involving international visitors - Brisbane and the Gold Coast

– Percentage of Crashes Attributable to Non-Australian License Holders

•

Data Analysis

• Percentage of all Crash Types – Brisbane

• Percentage of Crash Types (non-Australian license holders) – Brisbane

Data Analysis

Crash - Nature No %

Angle 10213 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 34.3%

Rear-end 8149 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 27.4%

Hit object 5428 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 18.2%

Sideswipe 1741 |||||||||||||||||| 5.8%

Hit parked vehicle 1517 |||||||||||||||| 5.1%

Hit pedestrian 1342 |||||||||||||| 4.5%

Fall from vehicle 550 |||||| 1.8%

Head-on 393 ||||| 1.3%

Overturned 283 |||| 1.0%

Other 146 || 0.5%

Hit animal 18 | 0.1%

Crash - Nature No %

Angle 192 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 48.9%

Rear-end 104 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 26.5%

Hit object 53 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 13.5%

Sideswipe 16 ||||||||| 4.1%

Hit parked vehicle 11 ||||||| 2.8%

Hit pedestrian 6 |||| 1.5%

Head-on 5 |||| 1.3%

Fall from vehicle 5 |||| 1.3%

Overturned 1 || 0.3%

• Percentage of all Crash Types – Gold Coast

• Percentage of Crash Types (non-Australian license holders) – Gold Coast

Data Analysis

Crash - Nature No %

Angle 75 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 46.9%

Rear-end 45 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 28.1%

Hit object 15 ||||||||||||||||||||| 9.4%

Hit pedestrian 7 |||||||||| 4.4%

Hit parked vehicle 6 ||||||||| 3.8%

Head-on 5 |||||||| 3.1%

Sideswipe 4 |||||| 2.5%

Fall from vehicle 2 |||| 1.3%

Overturned 1 || 0.6%

Crash - Nature No %

Angle 3321 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 29.4%

Rear-end 2850 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 25.2%

Hit object 2660 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 23.5%

Hit parked vehicle 755 |||||||||||||||||||||||| 6.7%

Sideswipe 510 |||||||||||||||| 4.5%

Hit pedestrian 505 |||||||||||||||| 4.5%

Head-on 236 |||||||| 2.1%

Fall from vehicle 218 |||||||| 1.9%

Overturned 188 ||||||| 1.7%

Other 48 || 0.4%

Hit animal 14 | 0.1%

• The prevalence of angle crashes is higher in both Brisbane and the Gold Coast for non-Australian license holders

• In the Gold Coast the percentage of head on crashes attributable to non-Australian license holders was 3.1%, compared to just 2.1 percent overall

• Non-Australian license holders have a higher risk for angle collisions

– which may be attributed to vehicles approaching from the “wrong” side of an intersection,

– or drivers misjudging entering intersections for other reasons.

Data Analysis

• Single Vehicle Crashes – Gold Coast – Non Australian license holders

• Single Vehicle Crashes – Gold Coast – All license holders

• Non-Australian license holders only half as likely to be involved in a single vehicle crash compared to all licence holders

Data Analysis

Crash - Type No %

Multi-Vehicle 129 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 80.6%

Single Vehicle 24 |||||||||||||||||||| 15.0%

Hit pedestrian 7 |||||| 4.4%

Crash - Type No %

Multi-Vehicle 6917 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 61.2%

Single Vehicle 3821 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 33.8%

Hit pedestrian 505 |||||||| 4.5%

Other 62 || 0.5%

• High risk factors – Gold Coast – Non Australian license holders

• High risk factors– Gold Coast – All license holders

• Non-Australian license holders are less likely to be involved in high risk behaviours such as speeding or driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs

Data Analysis

Crash - Contributing factors No %

Drink Driving - Illegal BAC 15 ||||||||||||||||||| 3.8%

Fatigue related 13 ||||||||||||||||| 3.3%

Speed Related - driver 11 |||||||||||||| 2.8%


Alcohol/drug Related 1849 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 16.4%

Drink Driving - Illegal BAC 1268 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 11.2%

Speed Related - driver 648 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 5.7%

Fatigue related 411 ||||||||||||||||||||||| 3.6%

• High risk factors – Gold Coast – Non Australian license holders

• High risk factors – Gold Coast – All license holders

• Non-Australian license holders may still be more at risk to accidents because of the unfamiliar road environment,

• The data does not point to unfamiliarity with the vehicle itself to be contributing to significantly more crashes

Data Analysis


Illegal Manoeuvre 83 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 21.1%

Disobey Traffic Light/Sign 62 |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 15.8%

Fail to Give Way or Stop 50 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 12.7%


Illegal Manoeuvre 1516 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 13.4%

Fail to Give Way or Stop 1261 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 11.2%

Disobey Traffic Light/Sign 770 ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| 6.8%

• Previous International Experience

– Taking adequate rests between journeys, or not embarking on a long drive shortly after arriving in Australia

– Familiarising themselves with Australiana road rules

– Familiarising themselves with their rental car

– Being mindful of the effects of jet-lag when arriving in Australia

– Plan to drive in daylight hours

– Build in rest stops every two hours to counter driver fatigue

Proposed Interventions

• Findings for Queensland

– No prevalence of increased crashes at or near venues of sporting events.

– Therefore, when considering the 2018 Commonwealth Games, it would be prudent to review the venue specific travel plans in advance of the Games

– Communication strategy in advance of the Games

– International visitors have historically been less inclined to use seatbelts,

– A good practise guide can be developed for implementation by rental car agencies, targeting seatbelt use by international visitors.

– Fatigue is a contributing factor

– Driving on the opposite side of the road has been found to be a risk factor

– International visitors are more likely to be involved in angle type crashes.

– Pedestrians should be reminded to “Look Right” by having these warnings pained on the pavement at major intersections.

– International visitors are not more likely to engage in high risk behaviours such as speeding or driving under the influence of alcohol

– Visitor education should be encouraged throughout their stay, starting with signage at their arrival at the airport, in rental cars and at their accommodation

Proposed Interventions


Questions

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Fainks Rossouw

Business

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