Vehicle related flood deaths - practice brief two July 2019

The Research into practice brief series provides concise summaries of research findings for end-users and practitioners. This is the second brief of the series, find the first one from December 2018 here.

Aim

Globally, vehicle-related incidents account for a significant proportion of flood fatalities. For example, in the United States, Ashley and Ashley (2008) reported 63% of all flood deaths were vehicle-related. In Australia, FitzGerald et al. (2010) reported that between 1997 and 2008 49% of flood fatalities were vehicle-related, similarly Haynes et al. (2017) identified 49% between 1900 and 2015. Recent research in Australia (Haynes et al., 2017, Peden et al., 2017) has documented and quantified vehicle-related flood fatalities, however, these studies have done so in the context of an investigation of all flood fatalities over an extended time frame, and gaps remain in our understanding of vehicle-related flood deaths specifically.

This study aims to better understand the situational, demographic, and environmental conditions under which vehicle related flood deaths occur. It also aims to explore age and gender patterns of the vehicle occupants, and the circumstances of those who survived.

Trends in fatality data

The final dataset contained the details of 96 individual vehicle-related flood fatalities in Australia that occurred between 2001 and 2017. These deaths took place during 74 flood-related vehicle incidents, with a mean of 1.3 fatalities per incident. These trends were examined in terms of three main factors: demographic, spatial and temporal, and situational.

• Demographic factors - a slightly greater number of fatality cases were noted for those aged 50-79 years and 30-39 years, and fewer for those aged 20-29 and over 80. Of the 96 deaths within the dataset, 60% (58) were drivers and 31% (30) passengers. Males made up 72% (42) of drivers and 57% (17) of passengers, compared to women who made up 28% (16) of drivers and 43% (13) of passengers.
• Spatial & temporal factors – Since 2006, the annual number of fatalities has continued above the mean (5.65 fatalities) almost every year, bar 2012 and 2014. In recent years, the number of fatalities appears to have increased again in comparison with the early 2000. A higher number of fatalities occurred during the summer months of January and February, as well as the winter month of June, with Queensland and New South Wales accounting for 84% of overall deaths.
• Situational factors - Analysis was undertaken to identify the main situational factors associated with vehicle-related flood fatalities. These include: the presence of alcohol, whether engaged in work duties/on duty, the flow of the water, the weather conditions, proximity to driver’s home, and the reasons for entering floodwater. It also covered other factual information about the incidents, such as the type of vehicle involved, the number of fatalities per event, the number of occupants present in the vehicle, the number of occupants who escaped from the vehicle, and the causes of death.

To find out more, download the full practice brief (three page pdf) at https://www.bnhcrc.com.au/resources/guide-fact-sheet/5739