Road toll (Australia and New Zealand)

Last updated
Road toll in Australia, 1983 to 2008 Australia road toll graph.svg
Road toll in Australia, 1983 to 2008
Road toll in New Zealand, 1951 to 2008 New Zealand road toll graph.svg
Road toll in New Zealand, 1951 to 2008

Road toll is the term used in New Zealand and Australia for the number of deaths caused annually by road accidents.

Contents

New Zealand

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:

Recent road toll figures

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]

New Zealand Road Deaths and reported injury casualties 1990-2016 New Zealand Road Deaths and reported injury casualties 1990-2016.tif
New Zealand Road Deaths and reported injury casualties 1990-2016
YearRoad deathsFatal crashesNo. of injuries
2012308-12,122
2013253-11,781
2014293-11,219
2015317-12,270
201632728512,456
201737834414,039
201837814,696
201935014,742
2020318292
2021318285
2022372335
2023343306

Deaths per capita

Road deaths and injuries per capita since 2000. [3] [5]

YearPopulation (000)Vehicles (000)No. of fatalitiesPer 100,000 populationPer 10,000 vehiclesNo. of injuriesPer 100,000 populationPer 10,000 vehicles
20003830.82601.746212.11.81096228642.1
20013850.12633.245511.81.71236832147.0
20023939.12709.540510.31.51391835351.4
20034009.22801.046111.51.61437235951.3
20044060.92920.743510.71.51389034247.6
20054098.33030.44059.91.31445135347.7
20064139.53124.33939.51.31517436748.6
20074228.33189.142110.01.31601337950.2
20084268.63247.83668.61.11517435646.7
20094315.83220.33848.91.21454133745.2
20104367.83230.63758.61.21403132143.4
20114405.33233.62846.40.91257428538.9
20124433.03250.13086.90.91212227337.3
20134471.13304.72535.70.81178126435.6
20144509.93398.12936.50.91121924933.0
20154596.73514.83196.90.91227026734.9
20164693.03656.33277.00.91245626534.1
20174,7653,8273787.9114,03929936.7
20184,8413,9753787.8114,69630437
20194,9204,0763527.20.914,74230036.2

By types of road user

A breakdown of the types of road users involved in the road death toll since 2010. [3] [6]

YearDriversPassengersMotor CyclistsCyclistsPedestriansOtherTotal
Highest:307(1987)250 (1973)146(1988)41 (1957)157 (1973)--
Lowest:49 (1952)49 (2013)28 (2003)5(2016)25 (2015/2016)
2010180985010362375
201115061339310284
201213582508330308
201312549398302253
2014127704310430293
201515775546252319
201616378525254327
201716166341632309
201819192456404378
2019173795113293348
2020158645311302318
202117072437251318
2022202645019361372
202318472539250343

By age

The following table gives the number of road toll deaths by age group from 2010. The total killed includes unknown aged fatalities. [3]

Year0–14 years15–24 years25–39 years40–59 years60+ yearsTOTAL
201018113768385375
20111182467965284
20121462687884308
2013664417664253
20141361666981293
2015884737974319
20161782649371327
20171266797576309
20181869676584303
20192340548768272
20201064738388318
20211462928070318
20229739286101372
2023876997090343

By region

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]

REGIONLowest TotalHighest Total201220132014201520162017201820192020
Northland7 (2011)54 (1989)182118232728272523
Auckland36 (2014)197 (1987)414836524654463425
Waikato33 (2013)141 (1991)653348697954586550
Bay of Plenty18 (2013)70 (1987)231830293119293224
Gisborne / Hawke's Bay10 (2013)64 (1986)311019151623181726
Taranaki7 (2013)45 (1991)177118122151511
Manawatu/Wanganui15 (2013)81 (1987)291534281628361626
Wellington10 (2015)71 (1987)11181210161210811
Nelson / Marlborough5 (2015)27 (1984)997510127511
West Coast3 (1996)18 (2001)799746332
Canterbury32 (2009)96 (1989)334938473445383523
Otago11 (2009)43 (1988)17141918201391218
Southland2 (2013)25 (1984)721281613758

Trucks

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]

Tourist road toll

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]

Australia

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]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transport in New Zealand</span> Overview of the transport in New Zealand

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speed limit</span> Maximum legal speed of vehicles

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traffic enforcement camera</span> Camera for detecting motoring offenses

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road traffic safety</span> Methods and measures for reducing the risk of death and injury on roads

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rumble strip</span> Road safety feature

Rumble strips are a traffic calming feature to alert inattentive drivers of potential danger, by causing a tactile fuzzy vibration and audible rumbling transmitted through the wheels into the vehicle interior. A rumble strip is applied along the direction of travel following an edgeline or centerline, to alert drivers when they drift from their lane. Rumble strips may also be installed in a series across the direction of travel, to warn drivers of a stop or slowdown ahead, or of an approaching danger spot.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorcycle safety</span> Study of the risks and dangers of motorcycling

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bicycle safety</span> Safety practices to reduce risk associated with cycling

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorcycle fatality rate in U.S. by year</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorcycling</span> Act of riding a motorcycle for transportation or recreation

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transportation safety in the United States</span> Overview of transportation safety

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road collision types</span> Overview of the various types of road traffic collision

Road traffic collisions generally fall into one of five common types:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traffic collision</span> Incident when a vehicle collides with another object

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epidemiology of motor vehicle collisions</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speed limit enforcement</span> Effort made by appropriately empowered authorities to improve driver compliance with speed limits

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road speed limit enforcement in the United Kingdom</span> Overview of the road speed limit enforcement in the United Kingdom

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traffic collisions in India</span> Overview of traffic collisions in India

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Road traffic accidents in Ethiopia</span> Overview road traffic accidents in Ethiopia

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.

References

  1. "Road crash statistics". Ministry of Transport, New Zealand.
  2. "Holiday road crash statistics". Ministry of Transport, New Zealand.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Te Marutau — Ngā mate i ngā rori | Safety — Death on NZ roads since 1921". Ministry of Transport. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  4. "Te Marutau — Ngā mate i ngā rori | Safety — Road deaths". Ministry of Transport. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Te Marutau — Ngā tatauranga ā-tau | Safety — Annual statistics". Ministry of Transport. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  6. "Road crash statistics". Ministry of Transport, New Zealand.
  7. "Te Marutau — Ngā tatauranga ā-tau | Safety — Annual statistics". Ministry of Transport. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  8. "Ngā waka rori | Road transport". Ministry of Transport. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  9. "Speed limits". www.nzta.govt.nz. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  10. Overseas drivers in crashes
  11. NZ Transport Overseas Driver Fatalities (Page 3 of PDF)
  12. "Te Marutau — Ngā tatauranga ā-tau | Safety — Annual statistics". Ministry of Transport. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  13. "Accidents Injuries and Fatalities: Transport Related Deaths". 1301.0 – Year Book Australia (2012). Australian Bureau of Statistics. 24 May 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  14. "Vehicle Collisions in Australia". NSW Compensation Lawyers. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  15. Atkin, C; Freedman, I; Rosenfeld, J; Fitzgerald, M; Kossmann, T (November 2005). "The evolution of an integrated state trauma system in Victoria, Australia". Injury. 36 (11): 1277–87. doi:10.1016/j.injury.2005.05.011. PMID   16214472.
  16. Homel, R (1990). "Random Breath Testing and Random Stopping Programs in Australia" (PDF). In Wilson, R.J.; Mann, R.E. (eds.). Drinking and Driving: Advances in Research and Prevention . Guilford Press. ISBN   978-0898621709.
  17. Peek-Asa, C (January 1999). "The Effect of Random Alcohol Screening in Reducing Motor Vehicle Crash Injuries". American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 16 (1): 57–67. doi:10.1016/S0749-3797(98)00116-0.
  18. Bhattacharyya, M; Layton, A (1979). "Effectiveness of Seat Belt Legislation on the Queensland Road Toll – An Australian Case Study in Intervention Analysis". Journal of the American Statistical Association. 74 (367): 596–603. doi:10.1080/01621459.1979.10481655.