Written by Tegan Thorogood
Tuesday, 31 January 2012 10:00
A CURTIN University study has recommended the establishment of a road trauma support service in Western Australia.
The study, coordinated by Dr Lauren Breen from Curtin’s School of Psychology and Speech Pathology, proposed 22 recommendations to support five groups with different experiences of road trauma. These included people bereaved through road traffic crashes; people injured in crashes; family, friends and unpaid carers of the injured; witnesses and first responders to crashes; and people who cause the crash and their families.
“The aim of the proposed service is to be a ‘one-stop-shop’ that meets the varied needs of all Western Australians who are affected by road trauma,” Dr Breen says.
“These needs differ: some people need information, some need a friendly ear and support from someone who has already experienced what they’re going through, and others will benefit from psychotherapeutic interventions.
“The proposed service arrangement would offer all these services on a statewide basis according to need and at no charge.”
Dr Breen says while such services exist in most other Australian states, there is currently no dedicated road trauma support in WA and is urgently required.
“When the frequency and severity of traumatic events are studied, road traffic crashes come out as being the most significant cause of post-traumatic stress disorder,” Dr Breen says.
“A single road traffic crash may affect drivers, riders, passengers, pedestrians, witnesses, their family members, friends, emergency service personnel and even entire communities.”
Psychosocial consequences may include serious physical injuries, temporary or permanent disability, intense grief, post-trauma reactions, psychiatric disorders, social isolation and stigma, decreases in quality of life, restricted opportunities for leisure, carer burden, and considerable personal financial costs.
The research was conducted in collaboration with a stakeholder reference group that included representatives from Victim Support Service, Office of the Coroner, ConnectGroups, Carers WA, Injury Control Council of WA, FESA, Police, St John’s Ambulance, hospitals, People with Disabilities WA, and Roadwise.
“The stakeholder reference group was a real strength of the project, and included several people who have been directly affected by road traffic crashes in different ways,” Dr Breen says.
“At times, the meetings were emotional, but the group’s input was invaluable in driving the project and contributing to the recommendations.”
The recommendations are to be discussed by the Road Safety Council, one of which sets out the steps required to have the service in operation and officially launched in November 2012 as part of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.
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