1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2005  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 21/01/2005   
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Contents >> Transport >> Accidents, injuries and fatalities

Accident costs include loss of life or injury to persons, and the destruction of, and damage to equipment and infrastructure. Table 22.36 shows the number of transport-related deaths for each of the transport modes for the six years to 2002. Transport-related deaths fell from 2,038 in 1997 to 1,908 in 2002. The majority of deaths (71% in 2002) were associated with motor vehicles driven on public roads.


22.36 DEATHS(a) FROM TRANSPORT ACCIDENTS
Mode(b)
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
Motor vehicles(c)
1,296
1,287
1,319
1,427
1,382
1,346
Pedestrians
388
369
373
359
352
308
Pedal cyclists
56
44
44
27
45
39
Rail
3
8
10
4
5
5
Water
50
39
57
51
49
49
Air
48
63
50
43
61
32
Other(d)
197
176
158
104
110
129
Total
2,038
1,986
2,011
2,015
2,004
1,908
(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 22.37, 22.38 and 22.41 as data in those tables 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: State and territory Registrars of Births, Deaths and Marriages.


Road traffic crashes

Crashes involving fatalities

The number of road traffic crashes involving deaths in 2003 (1,457) was 4% below the number in the previous year (table 22.37). The majority of this decrease was due to a significant reduction in fatal crashes in Victoria (down 19%). All other states and territories recorded either relatively small decreases or increases.

The number of road deaths was also lower in 2003 compared with 2002, declining by 5%. The number of people killed from road traffic crashes in 2003 (1,633) was the lowest since 1949.


22.37 ROAD TRAFFIC CRASHES INVOLVING FATALITIES
NSW
Vic.
Qld
SA
WA
Tas.
NT
ACT
Aust.
CRASHES INVOLVING FATALITIES
1994
552
345
364
143
195
52
36
15
1,702
1995
563
371
408
163
194
53
56
14
1,822
1996
538
382
338
162
220
53
58
17
1,768
1997
525
346
322
123
184
29
56
17
1,602
1998
491
348
257
152
199
47
59
20
1,573
1999
506
345
273
132
188
47
44
17
1,552
2000
543
373
275
151
184
38
48
16
1,628
2001
486
404
296
137
151
52
43
15
1,584
2002
501
361
283
138
159
34
40
8
1,525
2003
496
294
284
136
155
39
43
10
1,457
PEOPLE KILLED
1994
646
377
418
159
211
59
41
17
1,928
1995
620
418
456
181
209
57
61
15
2,017
1996
581
417
385
181
247
64
72
23
1,970
1997
576
377
361
148
197
32
60
17
1,768
1998
556
390
279
168
223
48
69
22
1,755
1999
577
383
314
151
217
53
49
19
1,763
2000
603
407
317
166
212
43
51
18
1,817
2001
524
444
324
153
165
61
50
16
1,737
2002
561
397
322
154
179
37
55
10
1,715
2003
552
330
310
157
180
41
52
11
1,633
Source: Australian Transport Safety Bureau, Monthly Fatal Crash Database.


Road traffic fatalities

The number of deaths from road traffic crashes per 100,000 people fell from 8.7 in 2002 to 8.2 in 2003, continuing the decline since 1970, when the rate was 30.4. Road deaths per 100,000 in the Northern Territory in 2003 (26.2) were significantly higher than the national rate (table 22.38). The Northern Territory also had the highest number of fatalities per 10,000 registered vehicles (5.0). The Australian Capital Territory had the lowest rate of road deaths (3.4 per 100,000 people) in 2003. Victoria recorded the greatest drop in road deaths per 100,000 people, from 8.2 in 2002 to 6.7 in 2003 (a fall of 18%).


22.38 ROAD TRAFFIC FATALITIES
2002
2003
no.
per 100,000
population(a)
per 10,000 motor vehicles registered(b)
no.
per 100,000
population(a)
per 10,000 motor vehicles registered(b)
New South Wales
561
8.5
1.5
552
8.3
1.4
Victoria
397
8.2
1.2
330
6.7
0.9
Queensland
322
8.7
1.3
310
8.2
1.2
South Australia
154
10.1
1.4
157
10.2
1.5
Western Australia
179
9.3
1.3
180
9.2
1.3
Tasmania
37
7.8
1.1
41
8.6
1.2
Northern Territory
55
27.7
5.3
52
26.2
5.0
Australian Capital Territory
10
3.1
0.5
11
3.4
0.5
Australia
1,715
8.7
1.3
1,633
8.2
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 2003 (9309.0); Population by Age and Sex, Australian States and Territories, June 2003 (3201.0); Australian Transport Safety Bureau, Monthly Fatal Crash Database.


International comparisons of road traffic deaths

Australian road traffic deaths are compared with those for other selected OECD nations in table 22.39. Australia's rate of 8.9 road deaths per 100,000 persons in 2001 is considerably lower than the rates of France (13.8), the Republic of (South) Korea (17.2), Poland (14.3), Spain (13.8) and the United States of America (14.8). Australia's rate is, however, markedly higher than Sweden (6.2) and the United Kingdom (6.1).

Australia's rate of road deaths per 10,000 registered vehicles (1.4) was below the OECD median. For the countries listed, the Republic of (South) Korea has the highest death rate per 10,000 registered vehicles (5.8) deaths.

The number of fatalities per 100 million vehicle kilometre travelled in Australia in 2001 (0.9) was the same as that for the United States of America and less than that for France (1.5).


22.39 ROAD TRAFFIC FATALITIES, International comparisons - 2001
People killed
Total population
Country
no.
per 100,000
of population
per 10,000
registered vehicles
per 100 million
vehicle km travelled
millions
Australia
1,737
8.9
1.4
0.9
19.4
France
8,160
13.8
2.3
1.5
59..0
Germany
6,977
8.5
1.3
1.1
82.3
Japan
10,060
7.9
1.3
-
127.3
Korea, Republic of (South)
8,097
17.2
5.8
-
47.0
New Zealand
455
11.8
1.7
-
3.9
Poland
5,534
14.3
3.8
-
38.6
Portugal
1,671
-
2.0
-
-
Spain
5,517
13.8
2.3
-
40.1
Sweden
554
6.2
1.1
-
8.9
Switzerland
544
7.6
1.2
0.9
7.2
United Kingdom
3,598
6.1
1.2
-
58.8
United States of America
42,116
14.8
1.9
0.9
284.8
OECD median
-
11.4
1.8
1.0
-
Source: Australian Transport Safety Bureau.


Rail and water transport accidents

There were 49 deaths associated with water transport accidents in 2002, unchanged from the number of deaths in 2001 (table 22.36). There were five rail transport accident-related deaths recorded in 2002, also unchanged from the number of deaths in the preceding year.

Air accidents

Since 1991 the number of aircraft accidents has declined by 52%, from 322 in 1991 to 155 in 2003 (table 22.40). In 2003 there were 54 fatalities, the same number of fatalities as occurred in 1991, and a rise of 59% compared with 2002.


22.40 AIR TRANSPORT, Accidents and fatalities(a)
Accidents
Fatalities
1991
322
54
1992
310
66
1993
318
67
1994
266
64
1995
267
51
1996
243
51
1997
254
38
1998
227
56
1999
196
49
2000
222
46
2001
201
51
2002
164
34
2003
155
54
(a) Includes accidents in Australia, accidents to Australian registered aircraft overseas, and accidents to foreign registered aircraft occurring within the Australian Flight Information Region. Excludes ballooning accidents.

Source: Australian Transport Safety Bureau.



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