Conference to tackle road toll

Road safety experts from across the world will put their heads together at a conference in Brisbane later this year in a bid to tackle one of the major causes of road deaths and injury - drink and drug driving.

QUT's Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety - Queensland (CARRS-Q) will host T2013: the 20th International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety (ICADTS) Conference from August 25-28.

T2013 conference chair and director of CARRS-Q Professor Barry Watson said drink and drug driving was the number one contributing factor in about 30 per cent of fatal road crashes in Queensland.

"Despite illegal blood alcohol concentration limits being in place for more than 25 years, and the dangers of drug driving becoming increasingly recognised, impaired driving remains one of the major causes of crashes on our roads," Professor Watson said.

"The aim of this conference, which will bring together more than 400 leading alcohol, drug and traffic safety experts, is to discuss the latest in international programs, policy and development in impaired driving."

Professor Watson said with statistics showing one in five drivers and riders killed on Australian roads had a blood alcohol reading above the legal limit, action was needed.

"Casualty crash risk doubles when driving with a blood alcohol limit above 0.05 per cent and the risk involvement in a fatal crash increases even more sharply," he said.

Professor Watson said 2011 saw the start of the UN Decade of Action which was a worldwide initiative to bring together more than 70 countries in a united effort to reduce road traffic crashes and cut the global road toll.

The ICADTS conference is regarded as the leading international meeting in the field of alcohol, drugs and traffic safety.

For more information on the conference or to register visit www.t2013.com

Media contacts
Sandra Hutchinson, QUT media officer (Tue/Wed), 07 3138 0358 or media@qut.edu.au
Rose Trapnell, QUT media team leader, 07 3138 2361.