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Vehicle crash mortality in the Kimberley region, 1990 to 1994: the role of open–load–space passengers in utility trucks

Vehicle crash mortality in the Kimberley region, 1990 to 1994: the role of open–load–space... HE carriage of passengers unrestrained in the rear open load space of utility trucks is common practice in remote northern Australia. In Western Australia (WA) the practice is restricted only by the load limits of the vehicle, despite the apparent risk. The position of passengers in vehicle crashes is not routinely recorded in the W police A crash data. Those crashes occurring on ungazetted roads, such as private station roads and community access roads, are not recorded at all. There has been no detailed examination of the morbidity attributable to open-load-space travel in WA. In the Kimberley region of WA, 49 per cent of the population are Aboriginal, and there is a burgeoning number of remote Aboriginal communities and outstations (Biostatistics Branch, Health Department of WA) . It is common for groups to commute to communities in utility trucks by travelling long distances on highways and ungazetted roads. The legislative requirement for the fitting of roll cages to passenger-carrying utilities in the Northern Territory has prompted community interest in the issue, but no current data are available for WA. This study describes the crash fatalities attributable to open-load-space passenger travel in the Kimberley region and estimates the total morbidity from road crashes in the region. Results Open-load-spacefatalities In the years 1990 to 1994 there were 65 crash fatalities, of which 12 (18 per cent) involved passengers travelling in the open load space of utility trucks (Table 1 ) . There was one suicide death, caused by driving o f the Broome Jetty and a homicide by car f against a pedestrian, both of which were not included in the study. The official published road toll for the region in the study years is 50 (West Australia Road Accident Prevention Research Unit, University of Western Australia) Fatal crash victims were predominantly Aboriginal (61.5 per cent) and 10 of 12 open-load-space passenger fatalities were of Aborigines. Overall, 74 per cent of casualties were male and 8 of 12 open-loadspace passengers were Aboriginal males. .*zz Road type Fatalities occurred predominantly on highways (46 per cent) and access roads (18 per cent) (Table 2). Five of the 12 open-load-space passenger fatalities occurred on access roads. The association of access road and open-load-space fatality is significant, with an odds ratio 5.4 (95 per cent confidence interval (CI) 1.4 to 20.9). All but one of the access road fatalTable 1 :Vehicle accident fatalities, Kimberle region of Western Australia, 1990-1994, by race an position in vehicle Race NonAboriginal Aboriginal unknown n % n % n % n Methods In September 1995 information on all roadcrash fatalities occurring in the Kimberley region in the five years from 1990 to 1994 was collected from coroner’s records, police reports and the state crash database. Coroner’s records The Broome Coroner’s court investigates all roadcrash fatalities where death occurs in the Kimberley region. Examination of coroner’s reports and death certificates provided information on passenger position in the vehicle, road type, race, age, sex, time and place of crashes and crash mechanism. Correspondence to Dr Stuart C. Garrow, PO Box 969, Broome, WA 6725. cr Position in vehicle Total Open-load-space passenger Passenger in vehicle Driver Pedestrian Unknown Total AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL O PUBLIC HEALTH 1997 vot. 21 No 3 F GARROW Table 2: Vehicle accident fatalities, Kimbedey region of Western Australia, 1990-1 994, by road type Road type sealed Position in vehicle Access n % highway n % Community n % Town n % Unsealed highway n % *mad n % n Total Open-lmd space passenger Passenger in vehicle Driver Pedestrian Unknown Total ities were of Aborigines. In total, there were 18 (28 per cent) road fatalities occurring on access road and off-road settings, such as station tracks, creeks and bushland. Fatality rates The published 1990-1994 fatality rate per 100 000,',2 calculated from regional population data (Health Department of WA), was 41.9. Inclusion of fatalities identified in this study raises the rate to 55.3. The fatality rate ratio between Aboriginal and nonAboriginal populations (excluding the race-unknown cases) in the regon was 2.51 (CI 1.4 to 4.7). In comparison, the 1990-1994 fatality rate for the state of W was 12 per 100 000 population (West Australia A Road Accident Prevention Research Unit) .Isz Most Australian state traEc codes contain legislation on seat belt usage, bicycle helmets and open-loadspace travel. Information and crash data identifying passenger position is freely available from most Australian states, but is not collected in WA. Recently adopted Northern Temtory legislation bans openload-space travel from the year 2000, with an interim requirement for roll cages to be fitted to open-loadspace passengercarrying utilities. In the years 1988 to 1993, prior to the legislation, there was an average of six deaths per year from open-loadspace travel. In the first year of the legslation there were no fatalities and the second year (1995) there were three (Northern Temtory Road Safety Council, Darwin). Conclusion This study demonstrates the significant mortality attributable to open-load-space travel. W is notable A for its lack of restriction on open-load-space travel and its failure to record adequately the position of passengers in the state crash database. The study suggests that vehicle crash statistics in remote regions significantly underestimate mortality by excluding crashes on ungazetted roads. Reform of state crash data collection would allow prospective study of mortality and morbidity attributable to open-load-space travel. The efficacy of open-loadspace passenger legislation in the Northern Territory should be closely examined by W road A safety authorities. Acknowledgments This work was supported by the Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service, Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services Council and the Health Department of WA. The assistance of the Broome Coroner's court, Broome Traffic police and Roadwatch is gratefully acknowledged. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health Wiley

Vehicle crash mortality in the Kimberley region, 1990 to 1994: the role of open–load–space passengers in utility trucks

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Publisher
Wiley
Copyright
Copyright © 1997 Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company
ISSN
1326-0200
eISSN
1753-6405
DOI
10.1111/j.1467-842X.1997.tb01711.x
Publisher site
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Abstract

HE carriage of passengers unrestrained in the rear open load space of utility trucks is common practice in remote northern Australia. In Western Australia (WA) the practice is restricted only by the load limits of the vehicle, despite the apparent risk. The position of passengers in vehicle crashes is not routinely recorded in the W police A crash data. Those crashes occurring on ungazetted roads, such as private station roads and community access roads, are not recorded at all. There has been no detailed examination of the morbidity attributable to open-load-space travel in WA. In the Kimberley region of WA, 49 per cent of the population are Aboriginal, and there is a burgeoning number of remote Aboriginal communities and outstations (Biostatistics Branch, Health Department of WA) . It is common for groups to commute to communities in utility trucks by travelling long distances on highways and ungazetted roads. The legislative requirement for the fitting of roll cages to passenger-carrying utilities in the Northern Territory has prompted community interest in the issue, but no current data are available for WA. This study describes the crash fatalities attributable to open-load-space passenger travel in the Kimberley region and estimates the total morbidity from road crashes in the region. Results Open-load-spacefatalities In the years 1990 to 1994 there were 65 crash fatalities, of which 12 (18 per cent) involved passengers travelling in the open load space of utility trucks (Table 1 ) . There was one suicide death, caused by driving o f the Broome Jetty and a homicide by car f against a pedestrian, both of which were not included in the study. The official published road toll for the region in the study years is 50 (West Australia Road Accident Prevention Research Unit, University of Western Australia) Fatal crash victims were predominantly Aboriginal (61.5 per cent) and 10 of 12 open-load-space passenger fatalities were of Aborigines. Overall, 74 per cent of casualties were male and 8 of 12 open-loadspace passengers were Aboriginal males. .*zz Road type Fatalities occurred predominantly on highways (46 per cent) and access roads (18 per cent) (Table 2). Five of the 12 open-load-space passenger fatalities occurred on access roads. The association of access road and open-load-space fatality is significant, with an odds ratio 5.4 (95 per cent confidence interval (CI) 1.4 to 20.9). All but one of the access road fatalTable 1 :Vehicle accident fatalities, Kimberle region of Western Australia, 1990-1994, by race an position in vehicle Race NonAboriginal Aboriginal unknown n % n % n % n Methods In September 1995 information on all roadcrash fatalities occurring in the Kimberley region in the five years from 1990 to 1994 was collected from coroner’s records, police reports and the state crash database. Coroner’s records The Broome Coroner’s court investigates all roadcrash fatalities where death occurs in the Kimberley region. Examination of coroner’s reports and death certificates provided information on passenger position in the vehicle, road type, race, age, sex, time and place of crashes and crash mechanism. Correspondence to Dr Stuart C. Garrow, PO Box 969, Broome, WA 6725. cr Position in vehicle Total Open-load-space passenger Passenger in vehicle Driver Pedestrian Unknown Total AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND JOURNAL O PUBLIC HEALTH 1997 vot. 21 No 3 F GARROW Table 2: Vehicle accident fatalities, Kimbedey region of Western Australia, 1990-1 994, by road type Road type sealed Position in vehicle Access n % highway n % Community n % Town n % Unsealed highway n % *mad n % n Total Open-lmd space passenger Passenger in vehicle Driver Pedestrian Unknown Total ities were of Aborigines. In total, there were 18 (28 per cent) road fatalities occurring on access road and off-road settings, such as station tracks, creeks and bushland. Fatality rates The published 1990-1994 fatality rate per 100 000,',2 calculated from regional population data (Health Department of WA), was 41.9. Inclusion of fatalities identified in this study raises the rate to 55.3. The fatality rate ratio between Aboriginal and nonAboriginal populations (excluding the race-unknown cases) in the regon was 2.51 (CI 1.4 to 4.7). In comparison, the 1990-1994 fatality rate for the state of W was 12 per 100 000 population (West Australia A Road Accident Prevention Research Unit) .Isz Most Australian state traEc codes contain legislation on seat belt usage, bicycle helmets and open-loadspace travel. Information and crash data identifying passenger position is freely available from most Australian states, but is not collected in WA. Recently adopted Northern Temtory legislation bans openload-space travel from the year 2000, with an interim requirement for roll cages to be fitted to open-loadspace passengercarrying utilities. In the years 1988 to 1993, prior to the legislation, there was an average of six deaths per year from open-loadspace travel. In the first year of the legslation there were no fatalities and the second year (1995) there were three (Northern Temtory Road Safety Council, Darwin). Conclusion This study demonstrates the significant mortality attributable to open-load-space travel. W is notable A for its lack of restriction on open-load-space travel and its failure to record adequately the position of passengers in the state crash database. The study suggests that vehicle crash statistics in remote regions significantly underestimate mortality by excluding crashes on ungazetted roads. Reform of state crash data collection would allow prospective study of mortality and morbidity attributable to open-load-space travel. The efficacy of open-loadspace passenger legislation in the Northern Territory should be closely examined by W road A safety authorities. Acknowledgments This work was supported by the Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service, Kimberley Aboriginal Medical Services Council and the Health Department of WA. The assistance of the Broome Coroner's court, Broome Traffic police and Roadwatch is gratefully acknowledged.

Journal

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health – Wiley

Published: Jun 1, 1997

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