Road toll is the term used in New Zealand and Australia for the number of deaths caused annually by road accidents.
Road toll is the term used in New Zealand and Australia for the number of deaths caused annually by road accidents.
New Zealand reports a daily, monthly, quarterly and annual nationwide road toll, [1] plus special period figures for a number of holiday periods: [2]
The road toll includes deaths which occur within 7 days of a road accident as a result of injuries received in the accident. Deaths of pedestrians and cyclists are included, but deaths from vehicular accidents not on legal roads (e.g. on farms) are excluded.
The New Zealand road toll has exhibited a downward trend since the late 1980s through to 2010, which was attributed to a number of factors:
Road toll statistics are available from as far back as 1921, when records began. A peak was reached with 843 deaths in 1973. Here are some figures from the last few years (dashes indicate figures not published or unavailable). [3] [4] [5]
| Year | Road deaths | Fatal crashes | No. of injuries |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 308 | - | 12,122 |
| 2013 | 253 | - | 11,781 |
| 2014 | 293 | - | 11,219 |
| 2015 | 317 | - | 12,270 |
| 2016 | 327 | 285 | 12,456 |
| 2017 | 378 | 344 | 14,039 |
| 2018 | 378 | 14,696 | |
| 2019 | 350 | 14,742 | |
| 2020 | 318 | 292 | |
| 2021 | 318 | 285 | |
| 2022 | 372 | 335 | |
| 2023 | 343 | 306 |
Road deaths and injuries per capita since 2000. [3] [5]
| Year | Population (000) | Vehicles (000) | No. of fatalities | Per 100,000 population | Per 10,000 vehicles | No. of injuries | Per 100,000 population | Per 10,000 vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 3830.8 | 2601.7 | 462 | 12.1 | 1.8 | 10962 | 286 | 42.1 |
| 2001 | 3850.1 | 2633.2 | 455 | 11.8 | 1.7 | 12368 | 321 | 47.0 |
| 2002 | 3939.1 | 2709.5 | 405 | 10.3 | 1.5 | 13918 | 353 | 51.4 |
| 2003 | 4009.2 | 2801.0 | 461 | 11.5 | 1.6 | 14372 | 359 | 51.3 |
| 2004 | 4060.9 | 2920.7 | 435 | 10.7 | 1.5 | 13890 | 342 | 47.6 |
| 2005 | 4098.3 | 3030.4 | 405 | 9.9 | 1.3 | 14451 | 353 | 47.7 |
| 2006 | 4139.5 | 3124.3 | 393 | 9.5 | 1.3 | 15174 | 367 | 48.6 |
| 2007 | 4228.3 | 3189.1 | 421 | 10.0 | 1.3 | 16013 | 379 | 50.2 |
| 2008 | 4268.6 | 3247.8 | 366 | 8.6 | 1.1 | 15174 | 356 | 46.7 |
| 2009 | 4315.8 | 3220.3 | 384 | 8.9 | 1.2 | 14541 | 337 | 45.2 |
| 2010 | 4367.8 | 3230.6 | 375 | 8.6 | 1.2 | 14031 | 321 | 43.4 |
| 2011 | 4405.3 | 3233.6 | 284 | 6.4 | 0.9 | 12574 | 285 | 38.9 |
| 2012 | 4433.0 | 3250.1 | 308 | 6.9 | 0.9 | 12122 | 273 | 37.3 |
| 2013 | 4471.1 | 3304.7 | 253 | 5.7 | 0.8 | 11781 | 264 | 35.6 |
| 2014 | 4509.9 | 3398.1 | 293 | 6.5 | 0.9 | 11219 | 249 | 33.0 |
| 2015 | 4596.7 | 3514.8 | 319 | 6.9 | 0.9 | 12270 | 267 | 34.9 |
| 2016 | 4693.0 | 3656.3 | 327 | 7.0 | 0.9 | 12456 | 265 | 34.1 |
| 2017 | 4,765 | 3,827 | 378 | 7.9 | 1 | 14,039 | 299 | 36.7 |
| 2018 | 4,841 | 3,975 | 378 | 7.8 | 1 | 14,696 | 304 | 37 |
| 2019 | 4,920 | 4,076 | 352 | 7.2 | 0.9 | 14,742 | 300 | 36.2 |
A breakdown of the types of road users involved in the road death toll since 2010. [3] [6]
| Year | Drivers | Passengers | Motor Cyclists | Cyclists | Pedestrians | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest: | 307(1987) | 250 (1973) | 146(1988) | 41 (1957) | 157 (1973) | - | - |
| Lowest: | 49 (1952) | 49 (2013) | 28 (2003) | 5(2016) | 25 (2015/2016) | ||
| 2010 | 180 | 98 | 50 | 10 | 36 | 2 | 375 |
| 2011 | 150 | 61 | 33 | 9 | 31 | 0 | 284 |
| 2012 | 135 | 82 | 50 | 8 | 33 | 0 | 308 |
| 2013 | 125 | 49 | 39 | 8 | 30 | 2 | 253 |
| 2014 | 127 | 70 | 43 | 10 | 43 | 0 | 293 |
| 2015 | 157 | 75 | 54 | 6 | 25 | 2 | 319 |
| 2016 | 163 | 78 | 52 | 5 | 25 | 4 | 327 |
| 2017 | 161 | 66 | 34 | 16 | 32 | 309 | |
| 2018 | 191 | 92 | 45 | 6 | 40 | 4 | 378 |
| 2019 | 173 | 79 | 51 | 13 | 29 | 3 | 348 |
| 2020 | 158 | 64 | 53 | 11 | 30 | 2 | 318 |
| 2021 | 170 | 72 | 43 | 7 | 25 | 1 | 318 |
| 2022 | 202 | 64 | 50 | 19 | 36 | 1 | 372 |
| 2023 | 184 | 72 | 53 | 9 | 25 | 0 | 343 |
The following table gives the number of road toll deaths by age group from 2010. The total killed includes unknown aged fatalities. [3]
| Year | 0–14 years | 15–24 years | 25–39 years | 40–59 years | 60+ years | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 18 | 113 | 76 | 83 | 85 | 375 |
| 2011 | 11 | 82 | 46 | 79 | 65 | 284 |
| 2012 | 14 | 62 | 68 | 78 | 84 | 308 |
| 2013 | 6 | 64 | 41 | 76 | 64 | 253 |
| 2014 | 13 | 61 | 66 | 69 | 81 | 293 |
| 2015 | 8 | 84 | 73 | 79 | 74 | 319 |
| 2016 | 17 | 82 | 64 | 93 | 71 | 327 |
| 2017 | 12 | 66 | 79 | 75 | 76 | 309 |
| 2018 | 18 | 69 | 67 | 65 | 84 | 303 |
| 2019 | 23 | 40 | 54 | 87 | 68 | 272 |
| 2020 | 10 | 64 | 73 | 83 | 88 | 318 |
| 2021 | 14 | 62 | 92 | 80 | 70 | 318 |
| 2022 | 9 | 73 | 92 | 86 | 101 | 372 |
| 2023 | 8 | 76 | 99 | 70 | 90 | 343 |
Local Body boundary changes mean that records have been kept from 1980 onwards. In November 2010, the Auckland Super City was established. The figures have been altered for Auckland and other regions to allow for this development. [3]
| REGION | Lowest Total | Highest Total | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northland | 7 (2011) | 54 (1989) | 18 | 21 | 18 | 23 | 27 | 28 | 27 | 25 | 23 |
| Auckland | 36 (2014) | 197 (1987) | 41 | 48 | 36 | 52 | 46 | 54 | 46 | 34 | 25 |
| Waikato | 33 (2013) | 141 (1991) | 65 | 33 | 48 | 69 | 79 | 54 | 58 | 65 | 50 |
| Bay of Plenty | 18 (2013) | 70 (1987) | 23 | 18 | 30 | 29 | 31 | 19 | 29 | 32 | 24 |
| Gisborne / Hawke's Bay | 10 (2013) | 64 (1986) | 31 | 10 | 19 | 15 | 16 | 23 | 18 | 17 | 26 |
| Taranaki | 7 (2013) | 45 (1991) | 17 | 7 | 11 | 8 | 12 | 2 | 15 | 15 | 11 |
| Manawatu/Wanganui | 15 (2013) | 81 (1987) | 29 | 15 | 34 | 28 | 16 | 28 | 36 | 16 | 26 |
| Wellington | 10 (2015) | 71 (1987) | 11 | 18 | 12 | 10 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 11 |
| Nelson / Marlborough | 5 (2015) | 27 (1984) | 9 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 12 | 7 | 5 | 11 |
| West Coast | 3 (1996) | 18 (2001) | 7 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Canterbury | 32 (2009) | 96 (1989) | 33 | 49 | 38 | 47 | 34 | 45 | 38 | 35 | 23 |
| Otago | 11 (2009) | 43 (1988) | 17 | 14 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 18 |
| Southland | 2 (2013) | 25 (1984) | 7 | 2 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 13 | 7 | 5 | 8 |
Around 20% of deaths involve trucks, [7] though trucks form only about 3% of traffic on the roads. [8] A speed study of 188 trucks found 86% took corners faster than the recommended speed and, of truck crashes on the Kaikōura coast, 73% had rolled on a corners with an advisory speed sign. [9]
Overseas licence holders are involved in just over 6 percent of fatal and injury crashes. [10] In 2016 overseas drivers (those with an overseas drivers licence) were involved in 24 fatal traffic crashes, 114 serious injury crashes and 506 minor injury crashes. In comparison, in total in New Zealand in 2016, there were 286 fatal crashes, 2,099 serious injury crashes and 7,583 minor injury crashes. [11] Over the five years from 2012-2016, 6.2 percent of fatal and injury crashes involved an overseas driver. Over the same period, 4.1 percent of all drivers involved in crashes were overseas drivers. In 2019 6 fatal crashes involved overseas drivers, killing 17 people. [12]
In Australia the road toll is reported at a state level. Similar to New Zealand, Australia also reports national figures for special holidays, though usually only for the Christmas and Easter holiday periods.
In 2010, 1367 people lost their lives in road traffic crashes in Australia. [13] While strategies to reduce road toll, including legislation, improvements to vehicle's which help to make them safer, and educational programs have been developed by the national government, under the 1992 Road Safety Strategy, it is up to the local governments to adopt and enforce these policies. [14] The state of Victoria has implemented several initiatives such as speed camera, random alcohol breath tests, and an integrated state trauma system, which have successfully reduced the number of deaths caused by road traffic crashes. [15]
Random breath testing ("RBT"), utilized throughout Australia, differs from the sobriety check-points commonly used in other countries. In Australia, random breath testing is accomplished by setting up a highly visible road block, wherein all drivers passing through are asked to take an alcohol breath test, regardless of whether there is any cause to believe the driver has been drinking. [16] RBT was shown to reduce alcohol related road toll by 8–71% in fourteen different studies reviewed by Dr. Corinne Peek-Asa. [17] Requiring motorists and passengers to wear seat belts appears to have reduced the road toll in Australia. [18]
Transport in New Zealand, with its mountainous topography and a relatively small population mostly located near its long coastline, has always faced many challenges. Before Europeans arrived, Māori either walked or used watercraft on rivers or along the coasts. Later on, European shipping and railways revolutionised the way of transporting goods and people, before being themselves overtaken by road and air, which are nowadays the dominant forms of transport. However, bulk freight still continues to be transported by coastal shipping and by rail transport, and there are attempts to (re)introduce public transport as a major transport mode in the larger population centres.
Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed, expressed as kilometres per hour (km/h) or miles per hour (mph) or both. Speed limits are commonly set by the legislative bodies of national or provincial governments and enforced by national or regional police and judicial authorities. Speed limits may also be variable, or in some places nonexistent, such as on most of the Autobahnen in Germany.
A traffic enforcement camera is a camera which may be mounted beside or over a road or installed in an enforcement vehicle to detect motoring offenses, including speeding, vehicles going through a red traffic light, vehicles going through a toll booth without paying, unauthorized use of a bus lane, or for recording vehicles inside a congestion charge area. It may be linked to an automated ticketing system.
Road traffic safety refers to the methods and measures used to prevent road users from being killed or seriously injured. Typical road users include pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, vehicle passengers, and passengers of on-road public transport.
Seat belt legislation requires the fitting of seat belts to motor vehicles and the wearing of seat belts by motor vehicle occupants to be mandatory. Laws requiring the fitting of seat belts to cars have in some cases been followed by laws mandating their use, with the effect that thousands of deaths on the road have been prevented. Different laws apply in different countries to the wearing of seat belts.
Te Manatū WakaMinistry of Transport is the public service department of New Zealand charged with advising the New Zealand Government on transport policy. The Ministry works closely with other government transport partners, including the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) to advance their strategic objectives.
Motorcycle safety is the study of the risks and dangers of motorcycling, and the approaches to mitigate that risk, focusing on motorcycle design, road design and traffic rules, rider training, and the cultural attitudes of motorcyclists and other road users.
Bicycle safety is the use of road traffic safety practices to reduce risk associated with cycling. Risk can be defined as the number of incidents occurring for a given amount of cycling. Some of this subject matter is hotly debated: for example, which types of cycling environment or cycling infrastructure is safest for cyclists. The merits of obeying the traffic laws and using bicycle lighting at night are less controversial. Wearing a bicycle helmet may reduce the chance of head injury in the event of a crash.
This is a list of numbers of motorcycle deaths in U.S. by year from 1994 to 2014. United States motorcycle fatalities increased every year for 11 years after reaching a historic low of 2,116 fatalities in 1997, then increased to over 5,000 around 2008 and then plateaued in the 4 to 5 thousands range in the 2010s. In nine years motorcycle deaths more than doubled from the late 1990s to 2008. Despite providing less than 1% of miles driven, they made up 15% of traffic deaths in 2012.
Motorcycling is the act of riding a motorcycle. For some people, motorcycling may be the only affordable form of individual motorized transportation, and small-displacement motorcycles are the most common motor vehicle in the most populous countries, including India, China and Indonesia.
Transportation safety in the United States encompasses safety of transportation in the United States, including automobile crashes, airplane crashes, rail crashes, and other mass transit incidents, although the most fatalities are generated by road incidents annually killing 32,479 people in 2011 to over 42,000 people in 2022. The number of deaths per passenger-mile on commercial airlines in the United States between 2000 and 2010 was about 0.2 deaths per 10 billion passenger-miles. For driving, the rate was 150 per 10 billion vehicle-miles: 750 times higher per mile than for flying in a commercial airplane. For a person who drives a million miles in a lifetime this amounts to a 1.5% chance of death.
Vision Zero is a multi-national road traffic safety project that aims to achieve a roadway system with no fatalities or serious injuries involving road traffic. It started in Sweden and was approved by their parliament in October 1997. A core principle of the vision is that "Life and health can never be exchanged for other benefits within the society" rather than the more conventional comparison between costs and benefits, where a monetary value is placed on life and health, and then that value is used to decide how much money to spend on a road network towards the benefit of decreasing risk.
Road traffic collisions generally fall into one of five common types:
A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. Traffic collisions often result in injury, disability, death, and property damage as well as financial costs to both society and the individuals involved. Road transport is statistically the most dangerous situation people deal with on a daily basis, but casualty figures from such incidents attract less media attention than other, less frequent types of tragedy. The commonly used term car accident is increasingly falling out of favor with many government departments and organizations, with the Associated Press style guide recommending caution before using the term. Some collisions are intentional vehicle-ramming attacks, staged crashes, vehicular homicide or vehicular suicide.
Worldwide, it was estimated that 1.25 million people were killed and many millions more were injured in motor vehicle collisions in 2013. This makes motor vehicle collisions the leading cause of death among young adults of 15–29 years of age and the ninth most frequent cause of death for all ages worldwide. In the United States, 40,100 people died and 2.8 million were injured in crashes in 2017, and around 2,000 children under 16 years old die every year.
Speed limits are enforced on most public roadways by authorities, with the purpose to improve driver compliance with speed limits. Methods used include roadside speed traps set up and operated by the police and automated roadside 'speed camera' systems, which may incorporate the use of an automatic number plate recognition system. Traditionally, police officers used stopwatches to measure the time taken for a vehicle to cover a known distance. More recently, radar guns and automated in-vehicle systems have come into use.
Road speed limit enforcement in the United Kingdom is the action taken by appropriately empowered authorities to attempt to persuade road vehicle users to comply with the speed limits in force on the UK's roads. Methods used include those for detection and prosecution of contraventions such as roadside fixed speed cameras, average speed cameras, and police-operated LIDAR speed guns or older radar speed guns. Vehicle activated signs and Community Speed Watch schemes are used to encourage compliance. Some classes of vehicles are fitted with speed limiters and intelligent speed adaptation is being trialled in some places on a voluntary basis.
Traffic collisions in India are a major source of deaths, injuries and property damage every year. The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) 2021 report states that there were 155,622 fatalities, highest since 2014, out of which 69,240 deaths were due to two-wheelers. A study by Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, U.S. shows that the use of seat belts significantly reduces the risks and injuries from road accidents, and yet there is no enforcement on use of seat belts in cars. A study by IIT Delhi points out that the national highways constitute only 2% of the length of roads in India, but they account for 30.3% of total road accidents and 36% of deaths.
Road traffic accidents in Ethiopia are a major problem with various aspects of causes and lack of management and policy on road safety. Traffic accidents are increasing over time while there is no structural national government policy involving infrastructural, and legal issues. Even though the government regulated draft strategies to improve traffic efficiency and reduce road traffic accidents, major problems are escalated by pedestrians as well as drivers. Drivers' bad behavior including aggressiveness and actions are the main contributor of traffic accident in Ethiopia.