Making Pilots of Us All: Adapting and Adopting Aviation Human Factors Lessons to Make Australian Roads Safer

Over the last forty years, safety on Australian roads has significantly improved in part because of the adoption of aviation safety technologies. The best known of these adaptations are: safety belts; anti-skid braking; dashboard/control layout improvement and the use of computers to aid stability and performance. The improvement in safety on the road as reflected by reductions in road trauma has plateaued since 2005. Perhaps it's time to revisit aviation for ideas but this time in the discipline of human factors. The safety culture that permeates aviation is the single most significant factor in keeping the skies safe. The driver culture relating to licensing, skills, updated knowledge, risk, driver limitations and situational awareness must change. The research and experientially acquired knowledge is all there....all we have to do is look up.