Introduction
The department commissions a series of national surveys on Australian road safety issues, known as the Survey of Community Attitudes to Road Safety.
Purpose and objectives
The broad purpose of the survey program is to monitor public opinion and behaviour on a range of important road safety issues. These surveys have been commissioned by the department since 1986, and have come to comprise a unique longitudinal study that influences policy and research decisions among road safety organisations across Australia. The survey results are also of interest to the wider community.
The specific objectives of the survey program are:
- to identify community attitudes to major road safety issues
- to determine community perceptions and reported behaviour in key areas of road use
- to identify any significant changes in such attitudes, perceptions and behaviour, compared with previous years
- to identify any significant differences in such attitudes, perceptions and behaviour between Australian states and territories.
How the survey is conducted
The survey is conducted by telephone with at least 1,500 people aged 15 years or over. Respondents are randomly selected within each state and territory, and within broad demographic groups, to accurately represent the adult Australian population.
Issues examined in the survey include:
- perceived causes of road crashes
- exposure and attitudes to random breath testing
- attitudes to speed
- perceptions of police enforcement
- mobile phone use while driving
- reported usage of seat belts
- involvement in road crashes, and
- experience of fatigue while driving.
Survey reports
For each survey the department publishes a report detailing the survey methodology, the results and a comparison of selected results with those of previous years.
Recent survey reports are listed below.
- Community Attitudes to Road Safety—2017 survey report
- Community Attitudes to Road Safety—2013 survey report
- Community Attitudes to Road Safety—2011 survey report
- Community Attitudes to Road Safety—2009 survey report
- Community Attitudes to Road Safety—2008 survey report
- CR 229: Community Attitudes to Road Safety—Community Attitudes Survey Wave 19, 2006
- CR 227: Community Attitudes to Road Safety: Community Attitudes Survey Wave 18, 2005
Please note that no survey was conducted in 2007, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2015 or 2016.
To find any of the department's road safety publications, including earlier survey reports, you can search the Road Safety publications database.