Fatal road crashes falling

A Federal Government report has revealed national annual road fatalities have decreased by nearly 25 per cent over the past decade

A recent report from the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development, Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, has highlighted a steady downward trend in road deaths over the past decade, with total annual road deaths falling by a total of 24.6 per cent – an average reduction of 3.4 per cent per year.

Titled Road Deaths Australia, 2013 Statistical Summary, the 45-page report examines road fatality trends by jurisdiction, type of crash (i.e. single or multi-vehicle), vehicle type, age/gender of driver and speed from 2004 to 2013.

Falls in the annual fatality rate have occurred across all Australian states and territories, with the highest drops occurring in New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory.

Across the different age groups, it was those aged 65 or over who account for the highest rate of annual fatalities per population. Males account for 72 per cent of all road deaths, while single-vehicle crashes account for 47 per cent of the total.

Annual counts of fatal crashes for articulated trucks have declined by an average of 3.1 per cent per annum over the last 10 years while the equivalent figure for rigid trucks is a decline of 2.2 per cent. For buses the figure is a decline of 6.7 per cent.

A significant drop was recorded in fatal truck crashes in 2013 compared to the previous year: articulated truck deaths fell by 28.4 per cent; heavy rigid truck deaths fell by 24.5 per cent; and bus deaths fell by 27.8 per cent.

All up, 193 deaths were recorded for crashes involving a heavy vehicle in 2013, compared to 289 in 2004. The total road death toll for 2013 was 1193, compared to 1583 in 2004.

Data collated from the 1980s reveals a number of interesting trends. The 65-and-over age group now accounts of 23.1 per cent of all road fatalities (up from 13.4 per cent 24 years ago), although that mirrors an overall increase in the demographic's numbers – it now accounts for 14.4 per cent of the population, up from 10.1 per cent 30 years ago.

Total annual fatalities fell by 4.9 per cent per year from 1984 to 1993. The rate over the next decade dropped by an average of 1.9 per cent per year, rising to 3.4 per cent per year over the last decade.

Click here to view the full report.

Fatal road crashes falling

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