Fact Sheet 10 - Safer Road Users - Restraints

In Queensland during 2008 there were 36 unrestrained vehicle occupant fatalities as a result of crashes (Data Analysis Unit 2009-1). With the total number of road crash fatalities in Queensland in 2008 being 327 (Data Analysis Unit 2009-2, p5), travelling unrestrained therefore contributed to approximately 11% of the state’s road toll.

The failure to wear seatbelts is a more common characteristic of rural and remote crashes than in urban crashes, particularly among male drivers (Edmonston, Dwyer and Sheehan 2002, p11). The relative risk of dying in rural areas compared with risks in urban areas was on average 6.5 times higher for crashes where the failure to wear seatbelts was a contributing factor (Queensland Parliamentary Travelsafe Committee 2002, p9).

Research suggests that using a seatbelt can reduce a vehicle occupant’s risk of death by at least 40 per cent (Australian Transport Council 2008, p42). Almost 40 years after seat belt use was first made compulsory in Queensland, it is a real concern that so many vehicle occupants are still being killed in crashes because they are not properly restrained when travelling.

While continued public education about the importance of wearing a seatbelt and enforcement to deter vehicle occupants from failing to wear a seatbelt should continue (especially in regional Queensland and rural areas), improved vehicle features could also assist in wearing rates.

RACQ members strongly support the fitment of seatbelt reminders in new vehicles (96%); and international research suggests that drivers of vehicles fitted with advanced seatbelt reminder systems (which meet EuroNCAP protocols relating to audio and visual signals) had a 99% seatbelt wearing rate (Australian Transport Council 2008, p42).

There is also strong RACQ member support for the fitment of seatbelt interlocks in new vehicles (85%). The idea of these devices is to prevent the vehicle from being driven if seatbelts are not worn.

The safety of children as occupants of motor vehicles is also an important issue. RACQ believes that many serious injuries can be prevented with the proper use of child restraints.

To assist in achieving this, the Club operates a state-wide child restraint sales and advisory scheme and conducts child restraint fitting and checking in Brisbane, Bundaberg, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville, Toowoomba, Cairns, Ipswich and Southport.

In 2009 Queensland adopted national road rules requiring:

• Children up to six months of age to be appropriately restrained in a suitable approved rearward facing child restraint;
  
  
• Children between six months and four years of age to be appropriately restrained in a suitable approved rearward facing child restraint or forward facing child restraint with an inbuilt harness; and
  
  
• Children between four years and seven years of age to be appropriately restrained in a suitable approved forward facing child restraint with an inbuilt harness, or seated on a suitable approved and appropriately located booster seat and restrained by a seatbelt that is appropriately fastened and adjusted (National Transport Commission 2008).

It is believed that these new rules will help to "provide a safe pathway from capsules to seatbelts and will reduce the risk of injury to children caused by restraints that are unsuitable for their weight and height" (Queensland Transport 2008, p16).

Previous research commissioned by RACQ (McDonnell-Phillips Pty Ltd 1999) found that parents do not receive adequate professional guidance when purchasing child restraints, particularly in the four to seven years age group. This finding was supported by a survey conducted by the Club in 2006, which found that 45% of children in this age group were being driven around while not properly restrained. The revised road rules should help to provide clearer guidance to parents of children in this age group, and encourage them to restrain their children appropriately.

Priorities: Restraints

1. Monitor and report on the use of seat belts and child restraints and the crash involvement of those wearing/not wearing suitable restraints.
   
   
2. Identify and target at-risk groups who continue to travel unrestrained (e.g., heavy vehicle drivers and motorists in rural and remote areas) by implementing a level of enforcement and education to facilitate better understanding of the dangers of not wearing restraints and the real risk of detection.
   
   
3. Continue to educate parents and carers about the changes to Queensland’s Transport Operations (Road Use Management – Road Rules) Regulation 1999 in relation to seat belts and child restraints.
   
   
4. Further educate parents and carers about selecting and using the most appropriate restraints and how to install them correctly in their vehicles.
   
   
5. Ensure educational material is in a form that is easy to understand and accessible to people from non-English speaking backgrounds.
   
   
6. Introduce an Australian Design Rule (ADR) to require seatbelt warning systems and fitment of seatbelt interlocks so vehicles are immobilised unless seatbelts are fastened.
   
   
7. Encourage the fitment of whiplash protective systems and side head airbags in new vehicles.

References

Australian Transport Council 2008, National Road Safety Action Plan 2009 and 2010, Australian Transport Council, Canberra, ACT, Australia.

Data Analysis Unit 2009-1, Personal Correspondence to RACQ, 03/06/09, Queensland Transport, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

Data Analysis Unit 2009-2, Queensland Road Toll Weekly Report: Report No: 575, Year to Date to Monday, 26 January 2009, Queensland Transport, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.

Edmonston, C., Dwyer, J., and Sheehan, M. 2002, Progress Report 1: Literature Review – Road Safety in Rural and Remote Areas of Australia, CARRS-Q, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Market and Communications Research December 2008, RACQ Safety Policy. Survey: Quantitative Research Report, Market and Communications Research, Spring Hill, Queensland, Australia.

McDonnell-Phillips Pty Ltd 1999, Child Restraint Advice and Fitting Service in Queensland, Prepared for RACQ, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

National Transport Commission 2008, Australian Road Rules: February 2008 edition, National Transport Commission, Web Document, Accessed 04/02/09: http://ntc.gov.au/filemedia/Reports/AustralianRoadRulesFebruary2008.pdf

Queensland Parliamentary Travelsafe Committee 2002, Report on Rural Road Safety in Queensland, Report No. 36, Legislative Assembly of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Queensland Transport 2008, Queensland Road Safety Action Plan 2008-2009: safe4life, Queensland Government, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

Contact

For more information contact RACQ Traffic and Safety on 1300 853 658 or 07 3872 8925, or email traffic@racq.com.au.