Apathy + speed = deadly

Community apathy is contributing to Australia's appalling road toll, according to one of the country's leading road safety experts.

Professor Mary Lydon from the University of Adelaide's Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR) said the fact that people are not shocked to hear that 1400 Australian motorists are killed each year is a tragedy in itself.

The Director of CASR discussed Australia's road safety challenges at last month's Research Tuesday seminar at the University of Adelaide.

Professor Lydon said people had become desensitised to the road toll, believing that "crashes happen to other people".

"More community concern is needed about our road statistics. The fact that 1400 people are killed each year in Australia and another 14,000 seriously injured should really shock people, but it doesn't.

"Worldwide, the annual road toll of 1.5 million people equates to 4000 deaths each day. That is a far worse statistic than wars, violence or murder," she said.

Professor Lydon said driver behaviour as well as road and vehicle factors all needed to be taken into account to reduce the road toll.

"It's rarely one cause in isolation and the public needs to get around this false perception that road accidents only happen to young, drunk, reckless people. Most crashes happen to ordinary people doing ordinary things."

Speed is the most common denominator in road crashes, but other measures can be employed by authorities and motorists to improve the nation's road toll, Professor Lydon said.

The internationally renowned Centre for Automotive Safety Research conducts independent research on the causes of road accidents and provides solutions to improve road safety.

Professor Lydon has more than 30 years' experience in the field and was appointed CASR Director in 2008.

Story by Candy Gibson