Precision ... and accuracy

Figures have a precision which words sometimes lack. It has been asserted (in several jurisdictions) that 82.5% of road collisions or thereabouts are caused by driver error. One enthusiastic administrator planned to write a thesis on this theme.

Life is rarely this simple, and legislation cannot be reduced to formulas and figures. If it could there would be no need for modern legislation to set objectives, require consultation or to require reporting on organisational performance.

Road safety requires the active participation of multiple agencies - sometimes of an agency performing multiple functions. There are resource and capability issues which add to the complexity of the task for administrators. To take the example of road collisions, some causes which should be addressed are:

• road infrastructure - is it adequate, is it safe?

• driver training and driver experience - if lax licensing processes develop it can be expected that drivers - novice drivers in particular - will lack necessary skills;

• enforcement - important requirements such as helmet and seat belt wearing are of little benefit if there is lax enforcement. It is not just a police issue - administration supporting enforcement officials is important (to ensure that there are appropriate penalties and to make a demerit point system work);

• law reform - laws need constant revision. Prescriptive legislation of old should be reviewed and replaced by legislation which enables agencies to do their jobs effectively.