Facts & Figures
• Australia-wide, there were 1,736 deaths in 2001 from road traffic accidents, a decrease of 85 people or 4.7% on the previous year.

• In 1999 Australia’s rate of 9.3 road traffic-related fatalities per 100,000 persons is comparable to that of Canada (9.7), Japan and Switzerland (both 8.2), while it is considerably lower than the rates for the United States of America (15.3), France (14.4) and New Zealand (13.4). Australia’s rate is, however, markedly higher than that recorded for Sweden (6.6) and the United Kingdom (6.0).

• In 2002 there were 1,725 deaths and more than 20,000 serious injuries sustained on Australian roads. Drivers and passengers of regular motor vehicles accounted for over 70.0% of road user fatalities, and pedestrians and motorcyclists accounted for 14.5% and 13.0% respectively.

• Motorcyclists are significantly over-represented in fatality statistics. In 2002 there were 63 motorcyclist deaths per 100,000 motorcycles, whereas there were 12 motorist deaths per 100,000 passenger motor vehicles.

• Pedestrians are also over-represented in fatality statistics. The most critical age group for pedestrians is the 65+ years bracket, who represent 12.5% of the population, but account for 25.0% of pedestrian fatalities.

• While the size of male and female populations are roughly the same, males are 2.66 times more likely than females to be killed in road crashes. The age group of most concern for both males and females is between 26 and 39 years. The high ratio of male to female fatality rates seems to have occurred despite the fact that male and female drivers tend to travel similar distances.

• There are four key contributors in the occurrence of fatalities: speed, alcohol, fatigue and non-wearing of seatbelts. Other factors that influence road safety include the standard of roads, use of drugs other than alcohol, vehicle standards and maintenance, and road user behaviour (such as aggressive driving).

• During the past 40 years, substantial progress has been made in reducing both the occurrence and severity of road crashes in Australia. The number of fatalities reached a peak of 3,798 in 1970, but this number was more than halved by 2002. This reduction is particularly impressive considering that during the past 20 years, the number of vehicles on our roads increased by 55% to more than 12.8 million in 2002, and the total kilometres travelled also increased by a similar percentage to more than 190,000 million km per year.

• The introduction of compulsory seatbelt laws and random breath testing have had a major impact in reducing the road toll and are excellent examples of effecting improvements through technological and cultural change. “Blackspot” programs to improve the quality of the road network have been particularly effective, and innovation in education, such as efforts to incorporate road safety into primary school curricula, are also positive initiatives.

• Crash data for the OECD nations suggests further improvement of Australia’s road toll is possible. In Australia during 2000, there were 9.5 fatalities per 100,000 population, which is slightly better than the OECD median rate. The United Kingdom was the nation with the best result of 6.0.

• The social, environmental and economic costs of road crashes are substantial, estimated by the Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics (BTRE) to be $15 billion annually.
• Studies of crashes show that the risk of a crash doubles at a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.05% and is four times greater at a BAC of 0.08%.

• The main cause of injury and death in a crash, at any speed, is when the driver and passenger are thrown around in the vehicle. At 50km/h this is like falling from the top of a three-storey building. A seatbelt prevents this and greatly reduces the risk of injury and death. It will also prevent you from being thrown from the vehicle in a crash.

• It has been estimated that the risk of a crash is four times greater after missing a night of sleep – the same as driving with a BAC of 0.08%. Another major cause of fatigue is driving when you would normally be asleep. The only cure for fatigue is sleep.

• It is a fact that drivers under 24 years old are twice as likely to suffer injury or death on the road than experienced drivers. Some research shows younger people are more likely to take risks on the road even though their driving skill is still poor. Also inexperienced young drivers do not see a hazard on the road as well as more experienced drivers, and may not take action to avoid the risk.

• In a 60 km/h zone, travelling at: 65 km/h, you are twice as likely to have a serious crash; 70 km/h, you are four times as likely to have a serious crash; 75 km/h, you are 10 times as likely to have a serious crash; 80 km/h, you are 32 times as likely to have a serious crash – than if you drive at 60 km/h.

• Pedestrians account for 20% of all road fatalities with males accounting for most fatalities and serious injuries. Teenagers are also over-represented. Approximately 30% of pedestrian casualties had a blood alcohol level of .05 or higher. People aged 60 years and over accounted for 16% of serious injury while representing only 16% of the population.