Three Stories among Tens of Thousands

For every person who dies in a road crash, more than a dozen are seriously injured, yet Western societies continue to focus primarily on the number of deaths—the tip of the trauma iceberg. We could fill an entire book with stories like those of Noel and Jan, 

Eliminating Serious Injury and Death from Road Transport 

and Abbey—ordinary Australians whose lives have been irrevocably changed by events that are frighteningly common. Jan was driving perfectly safely Sam had been drinking but knew better than to get behind the wheel himself and Abbey had a momentary lapse in her normally safe driving style. None fits the stereotype that we so often see in the media and hear repeated by far too many of our politicians. 

We have to try to understand why such a high level of road trauma is acceptable within our society if we are to progress beyond incremental improvements in the level of safety within our road and road transport system. 

Let us hope that these three stories help create a climate of enduring concern that we see as critical to transformational change. 

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