Centre for Automotive Safety Research reports

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Browsing Centre for Automotive Safety Research reports by Author "Baldock, M.R.J."

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    Annual performance indicators of enforced driver behaviours in South Australia, 2008
    (Centre for Automotive Safety Research, 2010) Wundersitz, L.; Doecke, S.; Baldock, M.R.J.; Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure
    This report was produced to quantify performance indicators for selected enforced driver behaviours (drink driving, drug driving, speeding and restraint use) in South Australia for the calendar year 2008. The level of random breath testing (RBT) in South Australia in 2008 decreased slightly but remained at a relatively high level. The proportion of tests conducted using mobile RBT continued to increase. The detection rate, based on evidentiary testing, decreased slightly in 2008 but remained at a relatively high level that was similar to those in other Australian jurisdictions. The level of drug testing doubled in 2008 due to the expansion and decentralisation of the drug testing program. Testing rates per head of population continued to be the highest in Australia. The drug detection rate fell slightly in 2008, as did the level of drug driving among fatally injured drivers. Methylamphetamine continued to be the most commonly detected drug. The number of hours spent on speed enforcement increased slightly in 2008 to the highest level recorded. The number of speeding detections increased for all types of detection devices but speed camera detections increased the most. Detections per thousand vehicles passing a speed camera increased by almost 70 per cent, most likely due to a lowering of the speed limit tolerance. Systematic speed surveys found reductions in travelling speeds on almost all road types. Restraint offences increased by 26 per cent in 2008. Restraint use in serious and fatal crashes remained lower in rural regions than in the metropolitan area. Males were more likely to be charged with a restraint offence and less likely to be wearing a restraint in a fatal or serious injury crash. Spending on publicity increased for all four enforced driver behaviours in 2008.
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    Evaluation of the VicRoads community policing and education project: final report
    (Centre for Automotive Safety Research, 2012) Baldock, M.R.J.; Kloeden, C.; Lydon, M.; Ponte, G.; Raftery, S.; Grigo, J.; VicRoads
    The Community Policing and Education Project was launched by VicRoads and Victoria Police in 2009 to reduce the likelihood of motorcycle crashes through a combination of enforcement and education countermeasures. The Centre for Automotive Safety Research at the University of Adelaide was chosen to evaluate the effectiveness of the Project using a range of methods. These methods include a process evaluation, analysis of crash data, on-road speed surveys, an online survey of motorcyclists, and roadside traffic observation. This final report provides an analysis of data collected during all phases of the evaluation.
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    Motorcycling in South Australia: knowledge gaps for research
    (Centre for Automotive Safety Research, 2010) Baldock, M.R.J.; Hutchinson, T.; Motor Accident Commission (SA)
    The aim of this report is to provide an overview of knowledge regarding motorcycling that can be applied to South Australia. To this end, recent relevant literature published prior to 2010 was reviewed. Areas of interest include: the number of motorcyclists, the motorcycles they ride, riding exposure, motorcycle crashes, motorcycling injuries, attitudes, training and countermeasures. The report is not an exhaustive examination of these issues but a general overview allowing for identification of knowledge gaps in South Australia that would be suitable for research. An analysis of the costs of motorcycle crashes in South Australia is provided in an appendix.
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    Protective clothing and motorcyclists in South Australia
    (Centre for Automotive Safety Research, 2011) Baldock, M.R.J.; Grigo, J.A.L.; Raftery, S.; Motor Accident Commission
    In November, 2010, the South Australian Motor Accident Commission launched its ‘Gear Up’ campaign to promote greater use of protective clothing by motorcyclists. Such clothing may include impact protectors and abrasion resistant materials. This study was conducted to ascertain the extent to which abrasion resistant materials would be expected to be of benefit in motorcycle crashes in urban and rural areas. A literature review and analysis of in-depth crash data revealed that crash-involved riders of motorcycles are likely to slide or tumble on the road surface, regardless of crash type or crash location (urban or rural). It was concluded that protective clothing for motorcyclists would be beneficial for all riders, whether they be urban commuters or weekend recreational riders.
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    Review of the literature on coffee stops as a road safety measure
    (Centre for Automotive Safety Research, 2008) Wundersitz, L.N.; Baldock, M.R.J.; Motor Accident Commission; Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR)
    Caffeine is a widely available mild stimulant thought to promote alertness. It has been suggested that the consumption of caffeine could be promoted at designated ‘coffee stops’ by the side of the road in rest areas. However, there is some concern that coffee stops might encourage driving when a driver should be resting. Although such roadside initiatives have been operating in Australia and overseas for many years, there are few quantitative evaluations examining the road safety benefits of such programs. Based on empirical research evidence, there is some support for the provision of coffee at roadside rest stops to temporarily alleviate fatigue when driving. However, the combination of drinking caffeine (approximately two cups of coffee) and napping (i.e., 15 minutes) during a break appears to be more beneficial than caffeine alone. Therefore, to enhance the beneficial effects of coffee stops, drivers feeling fatigued should be encouraged to take a 10 to 15 minute nap and to consume coffee. However, even though caffeine has a beneficial effect in alleviating fatigue, these effects are only temporary, lasting for about two hours. Consequently, caffeine alone should not be promoted as a substitute for sleep.
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    Sleepiness and road crashes: challenges of definition and measurement
    (Centre for Automotive Safety Research, 2011) Grigo, J.A.L.; Baldock, M.R.J.; Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure (SA)
    This report provides a literature review of the topic of sleepiness and driving. Topics covered include the prevalence of sleepy driving, the difficulty of defining and measuring sleepiness-related crashes, the effects of sleepiness on laboratory measures related to driving performance, the effects of sleepiness on driving performance as measured by driving simulators or on-road studies, and issues related to the measurement of sleepiness (both subjectively-reported and objective measures). Recommendations for countermeasures and future research are made.
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    The relative contribution of system failures and extreme behaviour in South Australian crashes
    (Centre for Automotive Safety Research, 2011) Wundersitz, L.N.; Baldock, M.R.J.; Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure (SA)
    Within the road system, there are compliant road users who may make an error that leads to a crash, resulting in a ‘system failure’, and there are also road users who deliberately take risks and display dangerous or ‘extreme’ behaviours that lead to a crash. Crashes resulting from system failures can be addressed through improvements to road system design more readily than crashes resulting from extreme behaviours. Therefore, the classification of crash causation in terms of system failures or extreme behaviour is important for determining the extent to which a Safe System approach (i.e. improvements to road system design to serve compliant road users) is capable of reducing the number of crashes. This study examined the relative contribution of system failures and extreme behaviour in South Australian crashes as identified from information in Coroner’s investigation files and databases of in-depth crash investigations conducted by CASR. The analysis of 83 fatal crashes, 272 non-fatal metropolitan injury crashes and 181 non-fatal rural crashes indicated that very few non-fatal crashes (3% metropolitan, 9% rural) involved extreme behaviour by road users and, even in fatal crashes, the majority (57%) were the result of system failures. This means that improvements to the road transport system can be expected to be much more effective in reducing crashes than concentrating on preventing extreme behaviours. Such a strategy could reduce the incidence and severity of a large proportion of crashes in South Australia.
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    Young adult licensing trends and travel modes
    (Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV), 2015) Bailey, T.; Wundersitz, L.; Raftery, S.; Baldock, M.R.J.; RACV
    Changing travel mode choices among young people, in particular declines in the percentages of those with driver’s licences, have been found in several countries. This study sought comparable evidence of driver licensing decline among the young in Victoria, Australia, as well as reasons for not wanting to drive or obtain a licence. A pattern of licensing decline among Victorian 18-29 year olds since 2001 was found. In 2014, over one-third of 18-24 year old Victorians were not licensed to drive. This licensing decline is accompanied by substantial increases in the proportions of licensed drivers aged over 50. An online survey of 147 Australians aged 18-30 not licensed to drive found that the most frequent reasons for not being licensed included the difficulty of the licensing process or its expense, not liking driving or preferring walking. Over a third of those aged 25-30 said they had never learned to drive, or were still learning. In sum, there is a pattern of changing travel mode choice among young adults characterised by their driving less, not at all or delaying getting a licence. As well there are some strong preferences for other transport modes, such as public transport and walking. Potential implications of such changes in travel modes include reduced road infrastructure revenue and costs, reduced traffic congestion, environmental benefits and reduced road deaths and injuries, but also a need for safer infrastructure for cycling, motorcycling and walking. Graduated licensing systems that protect young drivers will continue to be needed and young drivers will increasingly experience a road system comprising road users aged over fifty.