Case study. The focus of the report will be on young males aged 15-24 in Australia. Young males may experience more road traffic accidents than young females as a consequence of their risk taking attitudes that may cause to unintentional road injury
CNA 145 Child and adolescent health
Indah Puspalasari - 118205
Research report
Unintentional injury: road traffic injury among young males 15-24 of age years
Introduction
Unintentional injury is defined as an injury which is judged to have occurred without anyone intending that harm to be done (National Centre for Health Statistics 2005). Road traffic accidents are described as one of the major unintentional injury problem that causes death of people 15-24 of age years. It is a complex issue caused by the interrelationship of many contributing factors. Two of these are risk taking behaviours and novice drivers, both of which have increased at an incredible rate over recent years (Kedves 2008, p.2).
The focus of the report will be on young males aged 15-24 in Australia. Young males may experience more road traffic accidents than young females attitudes that may cause to unintentional road injury ( p.21). In addition, young male rate was over twice as high as that for young female (Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 2008).
The primary purpose of this report is to provide information for nursing community about road injury as one type of unintentional injury. This report describes unintentional injury by firstly illustrating risk taking behaviour and novice drivers. This is followed by a discussion about the combination strategy of education and parents support may help to promote government policy in preventing and reducing road traffic injury for young males.
Risk taking behaviour and novice drivers
Firstly, risk taking behaviour is one of the main factors of road accident cases in Australia among young males (Fernandes & Hatfield 2006, p. 28). Young males may aggressively seek out risk because they want to look for new situations and experiences to maintain a heightened rate of physiological arousal (Kedves 2008, p.2). Although risk behaviour is usually recognised to be a normal level of adolescent growth, it may bring injury that could result in death (ABS 2008). For example, young drivers, especially males, are more likely to speed, and drink driving that lead to unintentional injury (Racioppi, Eriksson, Tingvall & Villaveces 2004, p.14). In 2007, out of 100,000 young males’ drivers, 181 deaths in all states of Australia as a result of speeding or drink driving (Australian Government Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional and Local Government 2009, p.7). Furthermore, drink driving is another contributing problem, which is causing road injury among young males. AIHW (2008, pp.24-29) reports that based on the number of Australian population in 2007, 26.6% of males had driven a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, which calculates to 2.9% of respondent ages 14 years and 4.2% males older than 14 years old of reporting having driven a vehicle while under the influence of an illicit drug. In a study conducted by Drummer, Gerostamoulos, Batziris, Chu, Caplehorn, Robertson, & Swann (2003, pp.154-162.) based on the blood test given to three Australian states; Victoria (VIC), New South Wales (NSW) and Western Australia (WA) that 3398 fatality injured drivers found had consumed illegal drugs such as the stimulant methylamphetamine, also known as speed; and 3, 4-methylenedioxy-N-methamphetamine (MDMA), also known as ecstasy. Driving under the influence of drugs such as these can lead to changes in cognitive performance and impair brain functioning, therefore impairing driving ability (Austroads 2000). This means that drivers who have consumed these substances are more likely to take risks, and less able to make correct decisions or properly control their vehicle (AIHW 2008).
