In Western Australia, road trauma is being treated as a priority by many agencies and organisations involved in road safety, health, driver training, policy and education in an effort to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries suffered by Aboriginal people.
With road trauma being one of the biggest causes of death and injury for Aboriginal people in Australia, road safety agencies throughout Australia are delivering many road safety programs and driver training services into rural and remote Aboriginal communities.
A video, Corrugations to Highways, created for and with Aboriginal people, provides vital life saving information on being safe road users. It highlights information on issues such as driving to the conditions, alcohol and other drugs, trip planning, travelling in an open load space, pedestrians, cyclists, obtaining a licence and basic first aid management of a suspected spinal injury at the scene of a road accident.
Most of the video segments were shot in remote locations in the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia, and involved local Aboriginal people who were concerned about members of their communities being killed on the road. The video is a national first for road safety for Aboriginal people and is considered an excellent opportunity for developing effective and culturally appropriate tools for indigenous people.
