Road Policing Statistics

Australia

  • During the 12 months ended December 2011 there were 1,292 deaths. This was a 4.4 per cent decrease from the 12-monthly period ending December 2010. The rate of annual deaths per 100 000 population presently stands at 5.7. This is a 5.8 per cent decrease from the 12-monthly period ending December 2010 (Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, 2011).
  • Over the last decade, national annual fatalities decreased by 21 per cent, fatalities per population decreased by 32 per cent, and counts of fatal crashes decreased by 21 per cent. The decline was weaker during the middle of the decade but has accelerated significantly over the last three years (Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, 2011).
  • The 17–25 age group has the largest rate of fatalities per population. It accounts for 13 per cent of the population but 25 per cent of deaths. Over the decade however, the rate for this group has declined faster than the total (Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, 2011).
  • Across jurisdictions the rate of deaths per population are somewhat varied, with the three largest jurisdictions achieving some of the lowest rates. The trends are not linear, and, as with deaths all jurisdictions (apart from the Australian Capital Territory) have seen rates fall significantly over the last three years (Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, 2011).
  • All types of fatal crash are decreasing. Single vehicle crashes (no pedestrian involved) currently account for 44 per cent of the total. Ten years ago the proportion was 41 per cent (Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, 2011).  
  • Road crashes still cause some 1,400 deaths and 32,500 serious injuries each year. The social impacts are devastating - and the annual cost to the Australian economy is estimated to be $27 billion (Australian Transport Council, n.d).
  • Between Jan 2009 and Dec 2010, 47.4% of the fatal crashes occurred at speeds over 100km/h (Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics, 2011).
  • Illegal or inappropriate speeds are major contributing factors in about 34 per cent of Australian road deaths and 13 per cent of serious injuries (Australian Transport Council, n.d.).
  • Motorcyclists are heavily over-represented in serious crash statistics. They make up 17 per cent of all road deaths, and 22 per cent of total serious injuries (Australian Transport Council, n.d.). 
  • Certain behavioral factors continue to be implicated in many serious casualty crashes. For all fatalities speeding accounts for 34%, drink driving 30%, drug driving 7%, restraint non-use 20% and fatigue 20-30%. For all serious injuries speeding accounts for 13 per cent, drink driving 9%, drug driving 2%, restraint non-use 4 % and fatigue 8% (Australian Transport Council, n.d.).
  • Heavy trucks and buses make up only three per cent of the vehicle fleet, but are involved in 18 per cent of all road fatalities — about 250 deaths each year (Australian Transport Council, n.d ).

 

New Zealand

  • In 2011, 284 people died on New Zealand’s roads, a rate of 6.4 deaths per 100,000 population. Injury data for 2011 shows a further 12,978 people were reported injured (Ministry of Transport, 2012).
  • Since 1990, the number of vehicles on the road has increased by 52 per cent. While police reported injuries have dropped by 22 per cent, road deaths have dropped by 63 percent and the number of days spent in hospital as a result of road crashes has dropped by 60 per cent (Ministry of Transport, 2012).
    • The total social cost of motor vehicle injuries in 2009 is estimated at approximately $3.67 billion per annum at June 2010 prices (Ministry of Transport, 2010).
  • Loss of life and/or life quality due to permanent impairments accounted for approximately 91 per cent of the total social cost of injury crashes. Property damage accounted for around five per cent, and other cost components made up the remaining four percent (Ministry of Transport, 2010).
  • Of the 227 drivers/riders who died in road crashes in 2010, 181 (80 percent) were given a blood test to detect the presence of alcohol. 59 drivers had a blood alcohol level above the legal limit, that is, 33 percent of those tested and at least 26 percent of the total number of dead drivers was above the legal limit. Number of those not tested may also have had a blood alcohol level above the legal limit, so the percentage of dead drivers who were above the legal limit is likely to be higher than 26 percent…a likely estimate is that about 30 percent of all dead drivers were above the legal blood alcohol limit (Ministry of Transport, 2011).
  • Road crashes are the single greatest killer of 15 to 24-year-olds, and the leading cause of their permanent injury. Young New Zealanders aged 15 to 24 years are 14.5 per cent of New Zealand’s population; yet in 2008 they were involved in around 37 per cent of all fatal crashes and 38 per cent of all serious injury crashes. This equates to a road fatality rate of 21 per 100,000 population, more than double New Zealand’s overall rate (Ministry of Social Development, 2010).
  • Crashes where young drivers were deemed at fault resulted in 122 deaths and 800 serious injuries in 2008. The social cost of these crashes was approximately $1.1 billion (Ministry of Social Development, 2010).
  • Young people aged 15–24 years are at a far higher risk of death from motor vehicle crashes than any other age group. Death rates for 15–24 year olds in the period 2005–2009 were double those of the population as a whole (Ministry of Social Development, 2010).

 

Statistics obtained from:

Australian Transport Council. (n.d.) National Road Safety Action Plan 2007 and 2008. Canberra, ACT: Australian Government Australian Transport Safety Bureau. http://www.atcouncil.gov.au/documents/files/nrss_actionplan_0708.pdf


Australian Transport Council. (n.d.) National Road Safety Strategy 2011-2020. Canberra, ACT: Australian Transport Council. http://www.atcouncil.gov.au/documents/files/NRSS_2011_2020_15Aug11.pdf


Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. 2011. Road deaths Australia December 2011. Canberra: Department of Infrastructure and Transport. http://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/2012/files/RDA_1211.pdf (accessed 23 March 2012).


Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. 2011. Road deaths Australia 2010 statistical summary. Canberra: Department of Infrastructure and Transport. http://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/2011/files/RDA_Summary_2010.pdf (accessed 23 March 2012).


Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. 2006. Cost of Road Crashes in Australia. Report 118. Canberra: Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. http://www.bitre.gov.au/publications/48/Files/Cost_of_road_crashes_in_Australia.pdf


Bureau of Transport Economics. 2000. Road Crash Costs in Australia. Report 102. Canberra: Bureau of Transport Economics. http://www.bitre.gov.au/info.aspx?ResourceId=47&NodeId=26


Ministry of Transport. 2012. Monthly overview of crash statistics December 2011. Wellington: Ministry of Transport. http://www.transport.govt.nz/research/monthly-crash-statistics-Dec-2011 (accessed 23 March 2012).


Ministry of Transport. n.d.. New Zealand’s road safety strategy 2010–2020. Wellington: Ministry of Transport. http://www.transport.govt.nz/saferjourneys/Documents/SaferJourneyStrategy.pdf


Ministry of Transport. 2012. The social cost of road crashes and injuries: June 2010 update. Wellington: Ministry of Transport. http://www.transport.govt.nz/ourwork/Land/landsafety/Documents/Social-cost-of-road-crashes-and-injuries-2010-update.pdf (accessed 23 March 2012).

Ministry of Transport. 2012. Yearly report 2011. Motor vehicle crashes in New Zealand 2010: statistical statement calendar year 2010. Wellington: Ministry of Transport. http://www.transport.govt.nz/research/Documents/Motor-Vehicle-Crashes-in-New-Zealand-2010.pdf (accessed 23 March 2012).


National Road Safety Council and Ministry of Social Development. (2010). The Social Report: road casualties. Wellington: Ministry of Social Development. http://www.socialreport.msd.govt.nz/safety/road-casualities.html


Ministry of Transport. New Zealand’s road safety strategy 2010–2020. Wellington: Ministry of Transport. http://www.transport.govt.nz/saferjourneys/Documents/SaferJourneyStrategy.pdf (accessed 23 March 2012).


National Road Safety Council. 2010. National Road Safety Strategy 2011-2020: Draft for consultation. Canberra, ACT: National Road Safety Council. http://www.infrastructure.gov.au/roads/safety/national_road_safety_strategy/index.aspx


National Road Safety Council. (n.d.). Road Safety Factsheet NRSC 1: Road Safety Overview. Canberra, ACT: National Road Safety Council. http://nrsc.atcouncil.gov.au/Files/NRSC1Road_Safety_Overview.pdf