Traversing Community Attitudes and Interaction Experiences with Large Agricultural Vehicles on Rural Roads

Predictors of rural driver self-reported passing behaviors when interacting with farm equipment on the roadway

Background

Crashes involving farm equipment (FE) are a major safety concern for farmers as well as all other users of the public road system in both rural and urban areas. These crashes often involve passenger vehicle drivers striking the farm equipment from behind or attempting to pass, but little is known about drivers' perceived norms and self-reported passing behaviors. The objective of this study is to examine factors influencing drivers' farm equipment passing frequencies and their perceptions about the passing behaviors of other drivers.

Methods

Data were collected via intercept surveys with adult drivers at local gas stations in two small rural towns in Iowa. The survey asked drivers about their demographic information, frequency of passing farm equipment, and perceptions of other drivers' passing behavior in their community and state when approaching farm equipment (proximal and distal descriptive norms). A multinomial logistic regression model was used to estimate the relationship between descriptive norms and self-reported passing behavior.

Results

Survey data from 201 adult drivers showed that only 10% of respondents considered farm equipment crashes to be a top road safety concern. Respondents who perceived others passing farm equipment frequently in their community were more likely to report that they also frequently pass farm equipment. The results also showed interactions between gender and experience operating farm equipment in terms of self-reported passing behavior.

Conclusions/Implications

Results from this study suggest local and state-level norms and perceptions of those norms may be important targets for intervention to improve individual driving behaviors around farm equipment.

Road traffic fatalities in rural and remote Australia from 2006 to 2017: The need for targeted action

Objective

To explore rural motor vehicle collision (MVC) fatalities by trends over time, mode of transport, age, state, sex, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status.

Design

A retrospective total population‐based time series was conducted using the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) death registration data.

Setting

All statistical local area (SLA) within Australia from 2006 to 2017.

Participants

Australian residents whose deaths were registered with the ABS between 01 January 2006 and 31 December 2017 where the underlying cause of death was related to unintentional transport accidents.

Main outcome measures

Fatality rates were determined using population data collected from the 2006, 2011 and 2016 census. Trends over time by rurality were analysed by financial year. Rates of transport deaths by vehicle type were determined by rurality. Risk ratios were calculated to compare demographic groups based on sex, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander status and age. A 3‐year scorecard was organised by state and rurality using 99.7% confidence intervals.

Results

Motor vehicle collision fatalities increase with increasing remoteness. Females, children from 0 to 14 years, pedestrians, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are at a significantly higher risk of fatal MVCs than their respective metropolitan counterparts. The 3‐year scorecard indicates that road fatality rates in the NT, WA, and all rural and remote areas required immediate attention and targeted action.

Conclusions

There is a need for investment in MVC fatality prevention in rural Australia from inner regional to remote areas in order to meet the road safety targets established by the National Road Safety Strategy.