1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2007  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 24/01/2007   
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Contents >> Transport >> Accidents, injuries and fatalities

ACCIDENTS, INJURIES AND FATALITIES

TRANSPORT ACCIDENT DEATHS

Accident costs include loss of life or injury to people, and the destruction of, and damage to equipment and infrastructure. Table 22.16 shows the number of transport-related deaths for each of the transport modes for 2003 and 2004. Transport-related deaths fell from 1,811 in 2003 to 1,689 in 2004. The majority of deaths (68% in 2004) were associated with motor vehicles driven on public roads. Pedestrian deaths rose from 257 in 2003 to 270 in 2004, while the number of pedal cyclist deaths rose from 27 to 41 (52%) over the same period.


22.16 DEATHS(a) FROM TRANSPORT ACCIDENTS

Mode(b)
2003
2004

Motor vehicles(c)
1,257
1,147
Pedestrians
257
270
Pedal cyclists
27
41
Water
51
40
Air
58
49
Other(d)
161
142
Total
1,811
1,689

(a) Based on the International Classification of Deaths, Edition 10 (ICD-10). Data in this table relate to year of registration of death and are based on death occurring up to one year following a transport accident. Data will, therefore, differ from the traffic fatalities shown in tables 22.17 and 22.18 and graphs 22.19 and 22.20, as these data are based on year of occurrence of transport-related deaths which occur within 30 days of an incident.
(b) Mode of transport of deceased persons.
(c) Involving motor vehicles driven on public roads.
(d) Includes riders of animals, agricultural equipment, all-terrain vehicles, industrial and construction vehicles, and unspecified transport accidents.
Source: ABS data available on request, Causes of Death collection.


ROAD TRAFFIC CRASHES

Crashes involving fatalities

The number of fatal road traffic crashes in 2005 (1,481) rose by 37 compared with 2004 (table 22.17). Between 2004 and 2005 fatal crashes in the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory rose by 178% and 50% respectively, while Tasmania and Western Australia recorded falls of 7.7% and 6.8% respectively. All other states recorded either relatively small decreases or increases.

The number of people killed was higher in 2005 (1,636) compared with 2004, increasing by 3.3%. The number of people killed in the Australian Capital Territory rose from 9 in 2004 to 26 in 2005, an increase of 189%. The number of people killed in Tasmania fell from 58 in 2004 to 50 in 2005, a fall of 14%.


22.17 ROAD TRAFFIC CRASHES INVOLVING FATALITIES

NSW
Vic.
Qld
SA
WA
Tas.
NT
ACT
Aust.

FATAL CRASHES

2004
458
312
289
128
162
52
34
9
1,444
2005
469
316
294
127
151
48
51
25
1,481

PEOPLE KILLED

2004
510
343
311
139
178
58
35
9
1,583
2005
518
348
328
148
163
50
55
26
1,636

Source: Australian Transport Safety Bureau.


Road traffic fatalities

The number of deaths from road traffic crashes per 100,000 persons rose from 7.9 in 2004 to 8.1 in 2005. In 1970 the rate was 30.4. Road deaths per 100,000 persons in the Northern Territory in 2005 (27.1) was significantly higher than the national rate (table 22.18). Victoria had the lowest rate of road deaths (6.9 per 100,000 persons) in 2005. The Australian Capital Territory recorded the greatest increase in road deaths per 100,000 persons, from 2.8 in 2004 to 8.0 in 2005 (a rise of 186%), while Tasmania recorded a decrease in road deaths per 100,000 persons of 14%, from 12.0 in 2004 to 10.3 in 2005.

The Northern Territory had the highest number of fatalities per 10,000 registered vehicles (5.0) in 2005, an increase of 52% compared with 2004 (3.3). Between 2004 and 2005 fatalities per 10,000 registered vehicles rose in the Australian Capital Territory by 185%.


22.18 ROAD TRAFFIC FATALITIES

2004
2005


no.
per 100,000
persons(a)
per 10,000
motor vehicles
registered(b)
no.
per 100,000
persons(a)
per 10,000
motor vehicles
registered(b)

New South Wales
510
7.6
1.3
518
7.7
1.2
Victoria
343
6.9
1.0
348
6.9
1.0
Queensland
311
8.0
1.2
328
8.3
1.2
South Australia
139
9.1
1.3
148
9.6
1.3
Western Australia
178
9.0
1.2
163
8.1
1.1
Tasmania
58
12.0
1.7
50
10.3
1.4
Northern Territory
35
17.5
3.3
55
27.1
5.0
Australian Capital Territory
9
2.8
0.4
26
8.0
1.2
Australia
1,583
7.9
1.2
1,636
8.1
1.2

(a) Estimated resident population at 30 June.
(b) Number of registered motor vehicles and motor cycles (excludes tractors, caravans, plant and equipment) at 31 March.
Source: Motor Vehicle Census, Australia, 31 March 2005 (9309.0); Australian Transport Safety Bureau.


Road fatalities and fatality rates - 1926 to 2005

Australian road fatalities for the period 1926 to 2005 are shown in graph 22.19. Road fatalities per 10,000 registered vehicles and 100,000 persons for the same period are shown in graph 22.20.
Until 1970, each year other than during the Depression and World War II had seen a steady growth in motor vehicle ownership and a corresponding increase in road deaths. By 1970 the number of vehicles had increased twelve-fold over the number in 1926 and the road toll had increased about four times to reach its highest mark of 3,798 deaths. The number of fatalities per 100,000 people also peaked in 1970 at 30.4. The road toll in 2005 of 1,636 was less than half the 1970 figure (although higher than the 1,583 deaths recorded for 2004), while the number of fatalities per 100,000 people (8.1) for 2005 was less than a third of that of 1970. Also, while there were 8.0 road fatalities per 10,000 registered vehicles in 1970, this rate has decreased to 1.2 in 2005.

22.19 ROAD FATALITIES


22.20 ROAD FATALITY RATES


Characteristics of fatal crashes

Two characteristics of fatal crashes for 2000 and 2005 are shown in table 22.21.

In both 2000 and 2005 the majority of fatal crashes occurred on roads where the posted speed limit was 100 kilometres/hour (km/h) and above (47% in 2005), followed by roads with a speed limit of up to 60 km/h (32%). A further 22% of fatal crashes occurred on roads with speed zones of between 65 km/h and 95 km/h.

In both 2000 and 2005 the highest proportion of fatal crashes was single vehicle crashes (42% and 45% respectively). Pedestrian crashes accounted for 18% of crash types in 2000 and 15% in 2005.


22.21 CHARACTERISTICS OF FATAL CRASHES
2000
2005


no.
%
no.
%

Speed limit at crash site
Up to 60 km/h
528
33.1
449
31.5
65-95 km/h
347
21.7
311
21.8
100 km/h and above(a)
721
45.2
665
46.7
Type of crash
Pedestrian
287
17.6
221
14.9
Single vehicle
676
41.5
662
44.7
Multiple vehicle
665
40.8
598
40.4

(a) Includes zones of unrestricted speed.
Source: Australian Transport Safety Bureau.


International comparisons of road traffic deaths

Australian road traffic deaths are compared with those for other selected OECD nations in table 22.22. Australia's rate of 7.9 road deaths per 100,000 persons in 2004 is considerably lower than the rates of Poland (15.0), United States of America (14.5), Republic of (South) Korea (13.6) and Portugal (12.3). Australia's rate is, however, markedly higher than Sweden (5.3) and the United Kingdom (5.6).

Australia's rate of road deaths per 10,000 registered vehicles (1.2) was below the OECD median (1.4). For the countries listed, the Republic of (South) Korea has the highest death rate per 10,000 registered vehicles (3.6).

The number of fatalities per 100 mill. vehicle-kilometres travelled in Australia in 2004 (0.8) was the same as the OECD median.


22.22 ROAD TRAFFIC FATALITIES, International comparisons - 2004

Country
People killed
Total
population
mill.

no.
per 100,000
persons
per 10,000
registered
vehicles
per 100 mill.
vehicle-km
travelled

Australia
1,583
7.9
1.2
0.8
20.1
France
5,530
9.2
1.5
1.0
59.9
Germany
5,842
7.1
1.1
0.8
82.5
Japan
8,492
6.7
1.0
n.a.
127.7
Korea, Republic of (South)
6,563
13.6
3.6
2.3
48.1
New Zealand
436
10.7
1.5
n.a.
4.1
Poland
5,712
15.0
3.4
n.a.
38.2
Portugal
1,294
12.3
2.4
n.a.
10.5
Spain
4,741
11.0
1.8
n.a.
43.0
Sweden
480
5.3
0.9
0.6
9.0
Switzerland
510
6.9
1.0
0.8
7.4
United Kingdom
3,368
5.6
1.0
n.a.
59.8
United States of America
42,636
14.5
n.a.
n.a.
293.7
OECD median
n.a.
9.5
1.4
0.8
n.a.

Source: Australian Transport Safety Bureau.


AIR ACCIDENTS

Since 1995 the number of aircraft accidents has declined by 50%, from 218 in 1995 to 109 in 2005 (graph 22.23). The number of fatal accidents fell from 23 to 12 (48%) over the same period. In 2005 there were 19 fatalities involving registered civil aircraft, or just under half the fatalities that occurred in 1995. In 2005 there were 109 accidents of which 12 were fatal, compared with 135 accidents of which 10 were fatal in 2004.

22.23 AIR ACCIDENTS, FATALITIES AND FATAL ACCIDENTS(a)



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