Beginning with Community Safety Week of September 1999, our Risk Assessemnt Survey has been continually conducted. The subject being injuries caused by unprotected protruding towbars.
Our results indicate that 81% of those surveyed suffered injuries from towbars at least once, 60% several times.
it is interesting to note that 25.3% were left with permanent scars and 31.8% lost hours from work or school due to injuries suffered. 83% of these injuries happened at home, next were public car parks with 54% and shopping centres with 47%. Records from the Monash Accident Research Centre, Victorian Injury Surveillance System, revealed that towbar accidents can be far more dramatic than most people realise. Results from this surveillance reveal more than leg injuries. As a result of colliding with towbars, many victims then fell, hitting their heads on hard surfaces. Monash records obtained from 25 hospitals contributing data, show that 36% of patients were aged 15 and under; 16 - 30 20%; 31 to 45 13%; 46 - 60 9% and 61 and over also 9%.
Considering litigation laws of today and the legal costs inolved, leaing open to question where does the responsibility lie, with the car owner, or does it rest with the shopping centre management, local shire officers, proprietors of sporting venures, carparks, caravan parks, or with the owner of the property where the injury occurred?
It could well be argued from the legal fraternity, that a party failed to protect the general public from injuries knowing that a safety hazard existed, failing to provide protective safeguards or warning notice, failing to take responsible action to protect the public from injuries caused by unprotected towbars.
Vic Roads acknowledges that a towbar can be a dangerous protruding projection. Their advice according to Victorian Road Safety Regulation, is to remove the towbar tongue when not in use, or be protected in a way that minimises the potential to cause injury - certainly a more practical solution than removal.
Surely prevention is better than cure! What is the cost of injury?
