Traversing community attitudes and interaction experiences with large agricultural vehicles on rural roads

King, Jemma C., Franklin, Richard C., and Miller, Lauren (2021) Traversing community attitudes and interaction experiences with large agricultural vehicles on rural roads. Safety, 7 (1). 4.

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DOI: 10.3390/safety7010004

View at Publisher Website: https://doi.org/10.3390/safety7010004

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Abstract

Agriculture is one of Australia's largest rural industries. Oversized and slow moving industry equipment and vehicles, hereafter referred to as large agricultural vehicles (LAVs), use public roads. Restrictions exist regarding their on-road operation, but whether this is a function of the risk that their on-road use represents is unknown. A convenience sample of community members was used to explore perspectives about LAVs' presence on roads. An online survey was used to explore LAV interaction experiences, risk perceptions, and how best to promote safe interactions. Ethics approval was obtained. The participants' (N = 239) exposure to LAVs on roads in the last 12 months was variable, but there were clear seasonal points when encounters could be expected. The participants indicated that LAVs have a right to drive on the road (94.8%), and most interactions were neutral, with four LAV crashes reported. Other vehicle types were perceived as representing a higher risk to rural road safety than LAVs. The use of the driver's license test to increase knowledge about LAVs' presence, how to respond, and the use of signs were suggested in order to improve safety. The participants commonly interacted with LAVs, and rarely experienced negative events such as crashes. Continued communication about LAV presence on rural roads is an important consideration in order to help ensure safe interactions.


Item ID:	65764
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2313-576X
Keywords:	accident prevention; agricultural equipment; community members; farm vehicles; rural roads; traffic safety
Copyright Information:	(C) This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Funders:	National Farmers' Federation, National Heavy Vehicle Regulator
Date Deposited:	28 Jan 2021 03:02
FoR Codes:	30 AGRICULTURAL, VETERINARY AND FOOD SCIENCES > 3002 Agriculture, land and farm management > 300299 Agriculture, land and farm management not elsewhere classified @ 60% 33 BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND DESIGN > 3304 Urban and regional planning > 330499 Urban and regional planning not elsewhere classified @ 5% 35 COMMERCE, MANAGEMENT, TOURISM AND SERVICES > 3505 Human resources and industrial relations > 350505 Occupational and workplace health and safety @ 35%
SEO Codes:	92 HEALTH > 9204 Public Health (excl. Specific Population Health) > 920409 Injury Control @ 70% 92 HEALTH > 9205 Specific Population Health (excl. Indigenous Health) > 920504 Occupational Health @ 15% 92 HEALTH > 9204 Public Health (excl. Specific Population Health) > 920401 Behaviour and Health @ 15%
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