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Australia's improved safety levels

The authorities in Australia are releasing data showing an improvement in road safety in the country, with road deaths continuing to fall.
March 23, 2012 Read time: 1 min
The authorities in Australia are releasing data showing an improvement in road safety in the country, with road deaths continuing to fall.

There were 1,292 fatalities on Australia’s roads in 2011, a 4.4% reduction from the previous year according to data collated by the 4215 Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economies. The improvement in safety was particularly notable for younger drivers in the 17-25 age group, with road fatalities 34% and 22% lower than in 2007 and in 2010 respectively. This is of note as younger drivers typically feature the highest risk rate for drivers.

Accident levels remained the same in some parts of the country however and in 2011, six deaths were listed in Canberra while 288 deaths were reported in Victoria, similar to the figure in 2010. Only Queensland saw an increase in fatalities from the previous year, up 8% to 269 deaths compared with the figures for 2010. Tougher enforcement and a series of safety campaigns have been particularly effective in reducing accident levels in the country overall.

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