Australia’s road safety improvement sees record low for fatalities

Continued road safety improvements are being seen in Australia, following the implementation of a series of strategic moves. In New South Wales, the latest official data shows that road fatalities for 2014 were the lowest since 1923 and down some 40% compared with 10 years ago. Some cause for concern however has been seen with the 45% increase in deaths caused by the non-use of seat belts. There were 309 road deaths in New South Wales in 2014, compared with 333 in 2013. Across the other side of the count
January 5, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Continued road safety improvements are being seen in Australia, following the implementation of a series of strategic moves. In New South Wales, the latest official data shows that road fatalities for 2014 were the lowest since 1923 and down some 40% compared with 10 years ago. Some cause for concern however has been seen with the 45% increase in deaths caused by the non-use of seat belts. There were 309 road deaths in New South Wales in 2014, compared with 333 in 2013.

Across the other side of the country in Western Australia, the authorities are also taking steps to tackle bad driving and improve road safety. The police plan to issue warning letters to those drivers deemed a safety risk, as part of a strategy intended to reduce the number of road deaths in the state. The number plate of the drivers will also be flagged on a computer system. In several rural areas, people who have various driving convictions and accumulate a large number of demerit points will receive a personally delivered warning letter from the police.

Related Content

  • Better road safety can save lives worldwide
    January 24, 2017
    Road safety is an issue that rarely grabs headlines, although it is something that affects people around the globe. Road deaths account for a shockingly high percentage of deaths worldwide, with the risks being particularly high in developing countries. This poses such a threat to public health that the United Nations has been taking steps to address the issue, commencing with its Decade of Action on Road Safety in 2010. The focus has been on developing countries, due to the rapid increase in road deaths in
    Read More
  • Road safety gain for UK in 2013
    June 26, 2014
    The UK’s Department for Transport (DfT) reveals that the road fatality rate for 2013 was the lowest since records began in 1926. The data shows that 1,713 people died on the UK’s road network in 2013, around half that of the figure recorded for the year 2000. This reveals an on-going improvement in road safety levels. The DfT statistics show that in 2013, 21,657 people were seriously injured in road crashes, while the total number of casualties of all severities stood at 183,670. Car occupant fatalities in
    Read More
  • Defective eyesight, a road safety concern?
    February 16, 2012
    Failing eyesight presents safety problems for Europe's older drivers. A new report highlights substantial variation in the assessment of drivers' vision across Europe, and recommends that Member States make moves to better assess drivers' vision. Checking the vision of drivers plays a valuable role in the EU's target of halving road deaths across the EU by 2020. The aim is to achieve this road safety improvement by legislative means that change driver behaviour, raise the technical standards of vehicles and
    Read More
  • UK death rate not falling fast enough in The Reported Road Casualties Great Britain Report 2013
    September 26, 2014
    Road safety lobby groups have criticised Britain for pushing down its annual road fatality rate by a further 2% in the past year, the lowest figure since records began in 1926. The Reported Road Casualties Great Britain 2013 (RRCGB) Annual Report, published in September 2014, reveals that 1,713 people were killed in road accidents in the country during 2013, with the number of people seriously injured down by 6% to 21,657 versus 2012.
    Read More

Highlighted Content