Traffic Accidents in Australia

Traffic Accidents in Australia
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
Part 1................................................................................................................................................2
DPSEEA framework of WHO.....................................................................................................2
Social, Political or Economic Influences on the Issue Not Captured by DPSEEA.....................4
Part 2................................................................................................................................................5
Managing the Environmental Issue.............................................................................................5
Role of Existing Health Agencies and Other Agencies...............................................................6
Recommendations........................................................................................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9

Introduction
Traffic accidents is a major problem in Australia and a significant source of injuries and deaths
in the country. The paper will consider traffic accidents in Australia as an environmental issue. It
will use the DPSEEA framework to evaluate the problem and find out the social, political or
economic influences on the issue that has not been captured in the past. It will discuss the current
ways of managing this issue along with the roles of present health agencies as well as other
agencies. It will propose some suggestions for addressing the gaps in existing management,
policies and regulations for this issue.
Part 1
DPSEEA framework of WHO
Driving Forces - The significant driving forces to traffic accidents are collisions of the driver,
driving over the speed limits, not using seat belt and helmets, the fatigue of the drivers, driving
under the influence of alcohol or other drugs in traffic and inattentive driving due to talking in
phones (Ferris, Killian & Lloyd, 2017).
Pressures - This issue also put pressures on the environment since the vehicles leak gas and
fluid, emit harmful chemicals in the atmosphere, which could poison the plants and grass as well
as the wildlife (Nævestad, Phillips & Elvebakk, 2015). The oil spills from damaged vehicles are
one of the most significant issues with traffic accidents.

State Changes - When the vehicles are totaled, most of the insurance firms in Australia decide
that it is more cost-effective to replace the vehicles than repairing them. Although several parts
of the vehicles could be recycled, most of the vehicles end up in landfills where it takes
thousands of years for all the parts to be decomposed. Most of the parts of the vehicles are also
left on the sides of the roads where they harm the plants and animals. All these lead towards the
air, soil and water, pollution that impact the whole ecosystem.
Exposures - The traffic accidents mostly affect the lives of the human beings. Australia has
noted almost 190,000 deaths since the country has started accurate records of fatalities from the
year 1925. In the year 2019, the death tolls in traffic accidents were 1,185, and the country is
ranked 17th in the terms of deaths per 100,000 from traffic accidents (Gudes, Varhol, Sun &
Meuleners, 2017). The injuries of accidents in traffic are 27 times higher than the rates of deaths
in Australia. These saddening facts have affected the people of Australia and their ability to
survive.
Effects - This issue affects the physical and mental health of the people of Australia. The
passengers and drivers suffer from bruises and minor cuts to whiplash, paralysis, broken limbs,
spinal and back injuries and also deaths (Hassani-Mahmooei, Berecki-Gisolf, Hahn & McClure,
2016). The other impacts of this issue are mental and emotional distress as the individuals
involved in the accidents suffer from post-traumatic stress from the incidents or losing their near
and dear ones due to the accidents.