This Information Sheet presents the quarterly Road Construction and Maintenance Price Index figures for the year 2013–14. Additionally, it presents sub-indexes by activity type for road maintenance and road construction, and by road type for local sealed, local unsealed, and arterial roads.

• BITRE Road Construction and Maintenance Price Index–2014 update
  
  is_064.pdf
  (809.91 KB)

Report 140 presents the results of a BITRE review of the impacts of road trauma. This review evaluated different road safety approaches, both internationally and domestically, and provided a timely stock take of ways that road safety experts believe deaths and serious injuries on our roads can be reduced.

Internationally, the annual number of road deaths fell nearly 40 per cent between 2000 and 2012. However, there has been limited success in saving lives among vulnerable road users, and the share of fatalities among elderly road users is slowly increasing in many countries.

In 2008, International Transport Forum and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development published a research report Towards Zero: ambitious road safety targets and the Safe System approach, which was the first international effort in defining and promoting the adoption by all countries of a Safe System approach.

Australia was amongst the first to adopt a Safe System approach, which underpins the National Road Safety Strategy 2011–2020 (NRSS).

In Australia significant progress has been made towards the NRSS target of a 30 per cent reduction in casualties. While vehicle occupant deaths have trended down, the analysis confirms the relatively high risk for motorcyclists, pedal cyclists, older drivers and remote communities. This, combined with population increases, makes the search for new ways to further reduce road trauma even more challenging.

BITRE has focused on four priorities identified by road safety experts: infrastructure, intersections, distraction from mobile phones, and autonomous emergency braking. The report found:

• Roadside barriers, median barriers and rumble strips reduce road trauma. To maximise road safety benefits they need to be implemented taking account of road conditions.
• Lower speed limits can be a valuable option to help achieve improved road safety outcomes where low traffic volumes mean upgrades are not currently economically justified.
• Intersection treatments can be very effective, with roundabouts particularly effective–reducing casualty crashes by over 70 per cent.
• There is value in a comprehensive mobile phone strategy.
• Autonomous emergency braking will save lives as it is introduced to the vehicle fleet.

The Bureau is grateful for the help of road safety experts who participated in both the survey and workshop to identify new measures with the most potential to further reduce road trauma.

• Impact of road trauma and measures to improve outcomes
  
  report_140.pdf
  (1.47 MB)

This Information Sheet presents recent road traffic volumes across the Australian National Land Transport Network in 2011–12, based on data provided by States and Territories. It includes charts showing volumes of heavy and light vehicle traffic for all 21 non-urban corridors, and maps for the urban corridors.

• Traffic on the national road network, 2011–12
  
  is_063.pdf
  (1.57 MB)

This information sheet provides updated road freight estimates previously reported in Chapter 2 of BITRE Research Report 121. It gives estimates for interstate, intrastate, capital city and total road freight for each state/territory for the period between 1971–72 and 2012–13.

• Australian road freight estimates: 2014 update
  
  is_062.pdf
  (1.21 MB)

This information sheet presents estimates of the variation in use of roads by drivers.

It finds that road use is highly unequally distributed among motorists, with most vehicles driven relatively low distances while a few drive long distances. The uneven distribution is particularly pronounced for motorcycles and 'other' trucks.

• Who's using the roads: variations in usage by drivers
  
  is_053.pdf
  (739.41 KB)

This information sheet collates the latest available national data on casualty road crashes involving older Australians.

Population data in Table 3 was amended in January 2016.

• Road safety of older Australians: recent statistics
  
  is_50_amended_2016_III.pdf
  (1.27 MB)

This report presents detailed information on fatal crashes involving heavy vehicles and forms an important part of the evidence base. See also the Quarterly bulletins.

Latest Year: 2021

• hv_annual_2021.pdf
  (1.68 MB)
• hv_annual_2021_tablesonly.xlsx
  (1.76 MB)
• Road Trauma Involving Heavy Vehicles 2021 - Dashboard

2021 : At a glance

Annual counts of fatalities in crashes involving heavy trucks, 2012–2021

• In 2021, a total of 163 people were killed in crashes involving heavy trucks. This represents 15.4 per cent of total road deaths.
• Of the people killed in these fatal crashes, approximately 50 per cent are occupants in a light vehicle, 25 per cent are occupants in the heavy truck and 25 per cent are other road users (pedestrian, motorcyclist or pedal cyclist).
• The latest hospitalisation data (2019) shows that approximately 510 heavy truck occupants are hospitalised from road crashes each year.

Annual counts of fatalities in crashes involving a bus, 2012–2021

• There was a total of 15 people killed in crashes involving a bus. The trend over the last three years shows a reduction of 13.4 per cent per year.
• Of the people killed in these bus-involved fatal crashes, approximately 11 per cent are occupants of the bus, 33 per cent are occupants of a light vehicle and 57 per cent are other road users.
• Approximately 254 bus occupants are hospitalised from crashes each year.

Data presented in this publication was correct as at January 2023. Due to normal ongoing revisions in road deaths data, comparisons between this publication and later reports will result in minor discrepancies.

Archives

• Archived Road Trauma Involving Heavy Vehicles—Annual Summaries

This report provides an overview of the different patterns of road fatality and injury rates in 21 countries, and their determinants.

The main result of the study are models of road fatality rates as a function of seat belt wearing rates, enforcement activities regarding speed (using speed cameras) and alcohol (with random breath testing), and economic influences (principally unemployment). Experience from around the world also shows that laws lowering speed limits and legal blood alcohol limits are effective in saving lives.

• Road safety: modelling a global phenomenon
  
  report_141.pdf
  (9 MB)

This information sheet presents the 2013 re-calibrated BITRE Road Construction and Maintenance Price Index and Sub-Indexes. The revised index is an indicator of the change in input costs faced by the road construction and maintenance industry in Australia. The sub-indexes show the change in road costs by road types and road works activities.

• BITRE Road Construction and Maintenance Price Index and Sub-Indexes–2013 update
  
  is_049.pdf
  (747.92 KB)

This information sheet presents latest available Australian and international statistics on the road safety of young adults.

• Young Adult Road Safety–A Statistical Picture
  
  is_051.pdf
  (778.62 KB)