Road Fatalities
Andrea Close - 666 ABC Interview with Detective Superintendent Michael Chew
8 November 2005
Andrea Close: Good morning Detective Superintendent Michael Chew, of ACT Policing's Traffic Operations. You've been listening to my conversation so far: how does the ACT fatality rate and collisions with injuries rate compare to other States and Territories?
Michael Chew: Because we're a small jurisdiction it's quite reasonable when compared to other jurisdictions. Some of the bigger jurisdictions of course have more accidents, not only accidents with injuries but also fatalities in some cases up in around the three figure mark.
Andrea Close: Now, I understand that there is currently analysis taking place of accidents to see why they occur, is that correct?
Michael Chew: As part of our normal processes we review in addition to the coronial matters or investigations, we try and pinpoint a causational factor to the fatalities that have occurred. This year it's been very difficult to try and pinpoint one particular factor. A number of the issues in relation to what causes accidents are spread across all the accidents this year, so they're not all alcohol related, they're not all fatigue related, they're not all speed related -- it's spread across a number of different causational factors, which makes it very hard to police and pinpoint one particular issue to focus in on.
Andrea Close: Very hard for you to target for example, you're speeding and your alcohol and stuff like that. I mean I know you do that anyway but you're right -- that whole pinpointing of an issue can be difficult.
Michael Chew: Our strategies that we have in place this year and for all of ACT Policing, are really focused on just trying to get the drivers in Canberra or the road users in Canberra to pay attention, not to speed, not to drink and drive, to drive to the conditions, to be aware of what other people are doing around you, take that bit of extra time getting to places, don't rush if you're running late just take your time…those sorts of basic messages that we've been putting out to the Canberra community to pay that bit of extra attention I think. If that occurs and the community in partnership with the police work together we might have a good opportunity to address the road toll.
Andrea Close: Now, the ACT runs its own television and radio ads, you have quite good coverage in that regard, but are they not working?
Michael Chew: The ads we have running on radio and TV are quite well put together, they have a very focussed message of paying attention, which is basically if you go to all road trauma, if people pay more attention, take a look at the speed they're travelling, be aware of other road users, pay attention to other road users, pay attention to the road conditions at the time, then a lot of the accidents could be prevented.
Andrea Close: Professor Drew Richardson, you and Detective Superintendent Chew can converse with one another, I've got you both up on at the same time here. The measures that Detective Superintendent Chew just mentioned, the basic measures, the messages that have been drummed into us ever since we've first got our licences, you've been there, you've seen this; what's your theory on why these messages aren't getting through, what's going on? Canberra roads are almost too good, Detective Superintendent Chew, it's a flippant statement but do you think there is some accuracy?
Michael Chew: Well I think you only have to look at the other jurisdictions and the other states, the road networks that they have; in Canberra we are quite blessed with quite a good road network, the major arterial roads within Canberra are generally dual carriageway, if not three lanes, and the minor arterial roads are generally quite wide, so there's enough room for manoeuvring around accidents or avoiding accidents. And I think Prof Richardson is right that complacency can creep in, and it's just about probably getting the community to really look at their driving behaviours and think "am I doing the right speed limit, is there a motorcyclist on the inside lane or the outside lane, or is there a motorcyclist turning in front of me, is there a pedestrian" -- pay that bit of extra attention I think will really attack that road toll.
Andrea Close: Because if memory serves, there was an accident report earlier this year showing that ACT residents had a lot of serious accidents once they crossed the border.
Michael Chew: There is a number of accidents, and due to Canberra's location -- we have the coast is two hours away, the snow's two hours away, Sydney's two hours away, it's leaving Canberra to go somewhere else -- you're driving into another jurisdiction and yes there are accidents outside of Canberra involving Canberra residents.
Andrea Close: Has there been any kind of public outcry about these figures? The road toll is 25, far higher than any that I can remember in recent years.
Michael Chew: It's definitely frustrating that we have had a significant increase in the road toll, but as we said I think it's hard to pinpoint one factor that's been involved, and I think the previous three years where we had almost single figures, prior to that, we were up around the high double figures as well.
Andrea Close: Do you think the drought had anything to do with that? The wet roads suddenly we've got a year of more rain?
Michael Chew: Weather conditions certainly affect road usage and road users at the time but I mean it's very hard to really say the drought had something to do with it or you could also bring in that perhaps registrations in Canberra have increased as well, the amount of cars on the road has increased over the ensuing period, or there are more people getting their licence of various ages from your novice young drivers to your elderly drivers. I don't think there's really any one particular issue that we can really put it down to.
Andrea Close: So what do you do?
Michael Chew: Well I think we just keep with our strategies. As we said earlier we're out in the media, we're out in the community, ACT Policing as a whole, the Traffic Operations branch has specific campaigns throughout the year focusing on specific offences. In August for instance this year we ran a campaign with the Canberra Raiders in relation to addressing some speeding issues, so those sorts of community messages we need to get out there but, we really need to engage the community and get the community involved and say "let's pay more attention" and let's really drive to the conditions and drive to road rules.
Andrea Close: Well I've got to say if there's anything positive that can possibly come out of a figure like 25 fatalities for the year so far, is that I'm getting really, and excuse my language, I'm getting really pissed off that this has happened quite frankly and every time it happens I just think what the hell is going on and it is certainly making me drive more carefully and I would hope that it is having the same effect on other people.
Michael Chew: That's the message. As I said it is frustrating that we have had so many deaths on our roads this year, and it is a tragedy not only for the people involved -- my people who go to the accidents, the people at the hospital, the trauma people, ambulance service, the fire service -- but it's also the long term effects on the family of these people that die in these accidents. We need to further engage the community and in partnership with them, ACT Policing as a whole can really influence driving behaviours in Canberra.
Andrea Close: Informing families of fatalities must be the worst part of your job Detective Superintendent?
Michael Chew: Look as I said, you know a road trauma in particular affects everyone; it affects me, it affects the people who I work with and going to the families' homes and informing them of circumstances surrounding the death of a loved one is really traumatic and it's something that we'd like to avoid and in particular as the head of Traffic Operations, I'd like to avoid putting my people in that position.
Andrea Close: We've received an SMS from Lauren; any thoughts on people using their mobile phones while driving, what are the stats on that?
Michael Chew: Well I don't have any exact stats, but the use of mobile phones draws the attention of the driver away from what they're doing at the time, so mobile phone use is an offence under the Australian Road Rules to use a mobile phone whilst driving.
Andrea Close: Is it becoming more of an issue though, I mean are people heeding the warnings about using them?
Michael Chew: I think it's one of the offences that we do look at, and at various times we do run specific campaigns focused on mobile phone usage within Canberra. Mobile phones are a way of life these days, everyone has got one, but it's just a matter of if you're using it in the car, it is an offence and it also more importantly, it takes your attention off the road and what's going on around you, so I'd suggest and I definitely focus on, one of our strategies is mobile phone usage.
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