❓ A WA parliamentary question seeks clarification on road accident statistics, the definition of 'factor' vs. 'cause', and the cost of a road crash report. The answer defends the report's methodology and use of data, arguing for a systems approach to road safety analysis.
AnsweredQoN 2682Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
(a) is it correct that the main purpose of the report is to provide the detailed statistics needed by road safety agencies to develop strategies for reducing road trauma and to measure changes over time, and
(i) if so, why does this report not include a summary of traffic accidents listed by cause (not “factor”);
(b) is it possible to develop effective strategies to tackle the causes of traffic accidents without first identifying the causes of such accidents and the proportion of accidents attributable to each cause;
(c) does the Office of Road Safety understand the difference between the meaning of “factor” and “cause” in relation to traffic accidents, and
(i) if so, what is the agency's definition of each term; and
(d) how much did this report cost?
(i) if so, why does this report not include a summary of traffic accidents listed by cause (not “factor”);
(b) is it possible to develop effective strategies to tackle the causes of traffic accidents without first identifying the causes of such accidents and the proportion of accidents attributable to each cause;
(c) does the Office of Road Safety understand the difference between the meaning of “factor” and “cause” in relation to traffic accidents, and
(i) if so, what is the agency's definition of each term; and
(d) how much did this report cost?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
17 October 2007
Responded by
Minister for Community Safety
Response time
29 days
(a)(i) The annual road crash publication "Reported Road Crashes in WA" provides numbers and proportions of crashes and injuries for a vast majority of causes/factors identified in the international literature as contributing to road crashes. The terms "factor" and "contributing cause" can be and are commonly used synonymously in road safety.
(b) Road safety strategies for Western Australia must be informed by analysis of the road crash problem in this State if they are to be effective. In addition to the Data Analysis Australia report, the ORS and other road safety agencies use a variety of other sources of information to develop road safety policies for Western Australia, including interrogation of road crash databases and commissioned research.
(c) The difference in meaning of the terms 'factor' and 'cause' is largely a theoretical discussion. The ORS takes a systems approach to explaining road crashes, which acknowledges that crashes occur because of the complex interaction of system components. In the road system these components can include elements of the road, vehicle or person. Locational, temporal, road user type, demographic, situational and environmental factors also play a part in contributing to crash likelihood.
(i) A 'factor' is a circumstance contributing to a result.Without this factor, the result would not exist but the factor alone is an element that, by itself, cannot produce the result. The 'cause' of any road accident is unique to each road crash and should not be oversimplified. Accurate isolation of specific causes of road crashes is difficult, particularly for human factors. The terms "factor" and "contributing cause" can and are commonly used synonymously in road safety. While police often assign a primary 'cause' on their initial investigation, this is based on the judgement of the Attending Officer and is often amended following subsequent investigation of a crash.
(d) $54,795 (ex GST)
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(b) Road safety strategies for Western Australia must be informed by analysis of the road crash problem in this State if they are to be effective. In addition to the Data Analysis Australia report, the ORS and other road safety agencies use a variety of other sources of information to develop road safety policies for Western Australia, including interrogation of road crash databases and commissioned research.
(c) The difference in meaning of the terms 'factor' and 'cause' is largely a theoretical discussion. The ORS takes a systems approach to explaining road crashes, which acknowledges that crashes occur because of the complex interaction of system components. In the road system these components can include elements of the road, vehicle or person. Locational, temporal, road user type, demographic, situational and environmental factors also play a part in contributing to crash likelihood.
(i) A 'factor' is a circumstance contributing to a result.Without this factor, the result would not exist but the factor alone is an element that, by itself, cannot produce the result. The 'cause' of any road accident is unique to each road crash and should not be oversimplified. Accurate isolation of specific causes of road crashes is difficult, particularly for human factors. The terms "factor" and "contributing cause" can and are commonly used synonymously in road safety. While police often assign a primary 'cause' on their initial investigation, this is based on the judgement of the Attending Officer and is often amended following subsequent investigation of a crash.
(d) $54,795 (ex GST)
Notice: This document is created or edited using unregistered or evaluation copy of rtLib valid for testing or development purposes only. To use it for productive or any other purposes please register it. You may purchase the license on
http://www.rtlib.com
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