Risk Factors for Motor Vehicle Accidents

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A motor vehicle accident (MVA) is any crash occurring on a road between one or more motor vehicles, including cars, motorbikes, scooters, trucks, buses, or pedestrians on public roads (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 1998). Motor vehicle accidents are a major health issue in Australia, being one of the leading causes of fatality and injury (Donovan, Fielder, Ouschan, & Ewing, 2011). While the number of accidents has significantly decreased over the years, MVAs are still a major issue in today’s society (Ramage-Morin, 2008). Mortality and injury rates of MVAs are dependent on geographic region, with different states having varying rates of MVAs. Additionally, MVAs impact majorly on the individual, with a high percentage developing Acute Stress Disorder (ASD) and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following the accident (Harvey, 1998). They also impact the economy and therefore society, with the cost of MVAs being approximately seventeen billion dollars annually in 2003 (Connelly & Supangan, 2006). Risk factors of MVAs are determined by the driver’s behaviour, such as speed and alcohol/drugs. Social factors are also a contributor, including age and gender. The final contributing risk factors are environmental, which include time and place. Age is one of the main leading risk factors to MVAs, which has had strategies implemented to control this and decrease the risk of accidents associated with age.
Firstly, the magnitude of MVAs in Australia has been considerably reduced, with the number of accidents falling year by year. However, this does not make this issue insignificant, as it is still a major problem. They are the second leading cause of fatality due to external damage (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare,...

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...Public Health. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-11-270
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Hatfield, J., Fernandes, R., Faunce, G., & Job, R. F. S. (2008). An implicit non-self-report measure of attitudes to speeding: Development and validation. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 40(2), 616-627. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2007.08.020
Ramage-Morin, P. L. (2008). Motor vehicle accident deaths, 1979 to 2004. Health Reports, 19(3), 45-51.
Viallon, V., & Laumon, B. (2013). Fractions of fatal crashes attributable to speeding: Evolution for the period 2001–2010 in France. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 52(0), 250-256. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2012.12.024

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