Skip to main content

Counting the high cost of road crashes for Australia

Australia pays a heavy penalty for road crashes, according to a report by the Australian Automobile Association (AAA). In addition to the personal tragedy involved, road crashes cost Australia’s economy a loss of US$23.93 billion (A$29.7 billion) in 2015 according to the AAA. The number of road crashes in Australia climbed 4% between 2006 and 2015 and reached 679,359. However road fatalities dropped by around 25% to 1,205 between 2006 and 2015.
September 15, 2017 Read time: 1 min

Australia pays a heavy penalty for road crashes, according to a report by the Australian Automobile Association (AAA). In addition to the personal tragedy involved, road crashes cost Australia’s economy a loss of US$23.93 billion (A$29.7 billion) in 2015 according to the AAA. The number of road crashes in Australia climbed 4% between 2006 and 2015 and reached 679,359. However road fatalities dropped by around 25% to 1,205 between 2006 and 2015. Improved vehicle safety and occupant protection has played a role in reducing the rate of death and serious injuries. The AAA also pointed out that while the fatality rate has been reduced, the annual cost of crashes has actually remained fairly constant.

Related Content

  • Fewer cars; more reckless drivers?
    April 28, 2020
    Emptier streets may be a green light for some US drivers to flaunt safety laws, reports the GHSA*.
  • EU must do more to cut car occupant deaths, say transport safety campaigners
    April 25, 2014
    Transport safety campaigners are calling on the European Union to accelerate progress on reducing the number of people killed in cars annually in the EU, as new research shows 12,345 car occupants died in 2012. The report into trends in car occupant safety, published today (29 April 2014) by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), claims that 900 lives could be saved every year in the EU if car manufacturers were required to fit seat-belt reminder sensors to front and rear passenger seats to help prev
  • DUI is a problem for the US
    April 5, 2022
    DUI is a serious road safety problem for the US.
  • Safety improvements seen on French, German and Portuguese roads
    July 12, 2013
    New data from Germany and Portugal reveals continued improvement in road safety, with a reduction in fatality levels for both countries. Final figures from the German Federal Statistics Office, Destatis, reveal a reduction in road related deaths for 2012. Some 3,600 people died on Germany’s roads in 2012, a 10.2% drop from the previous year. Meanwhile for the first six months of 2013, some 227 people were killed in vehicle crashes in Portugal, a drop of 18% compared with the previous year.