Road Safety in Australia–Fact Sheet
This fact sheet provides key road fatality data for 2015 and 2016, and how some key statistics have changed since the base years (2008 to 2010) of the National Road Safety Strategy 2011–2020.
- Road Safety in Australia–Fact Sheet
This information sheet provides an overview of the current status of motorcycling safety in Australia. In 2016 motorcyclist deaths increased by 22 per cent, to 248 deaths (almost 1 in five road deaths). This represents an increase of 7.4 per cent on the National Road Safety Strategy base years (2008-2010).
While the national trend in motorcyclist fatality rates over the last decade has improved by 40 per cent, increased exposure means that the number of motorcyclist deaths in Australia is now similar to 10 years ago. This underpins the need to identify further areas for improvement and focus efforts on reducing motorcyclist fatalities and hospitalised injuries.
- Motorcycling Safety
Light commercial vehicle safety
This information sheet analyses fatal crashes and fatalities involving light commercial vehicles. Light commercial vehicles account for more than 1 in 6 registered vehicles and almost 1 in 5 of total vehicle kilometres travelled (VKT).
In 2015 crashes involving light commercial vehicles accounted for 262 road deaths (21 per cent of road deaths), down 3.7 per cent on 2014. Deaths in crashes involving light commercial vehicles were down 5.0 per cent on the National Road Safety Strategy base period 2008–2010, less than light passenger vehicle involved crashes (down 16.4 per cent). This is partly due to greater exposure. Adjusting for VKT, light commercial vehicle fatal crash rates are still 17 per cent higher per billion VKT than for light passenger vehicles.
- Light commercial vehicle safety
This Excel sheet provides summary series of hospitalised injuries (injury resulting in confirmed admission to hospital, but not in-hospital death) from road traffic crashes from calendar years 2011 to 2021. These series are produced by the Road Safety Data Hub using data sourced from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, with that raw data also included in the file.
The latest 2023 updates have added new data for 2020 and 2021, and new detailed tables on States and Territories:
Developing national road safety indicators for injury
The National Road Safety Strategy 2011–2020 (NRSS) presents a 10-year plan to reduce the annual numbers of both deaths and serious injuries on Australian roads by at least 30 per cent.
Australia's performance in addressing serious injuries from crashes is difficult to measure because of the lack of a reliable, nationally consistent, source of non-fatal crash data.
This information sheet details the current data sources, their limitations, and efforts currently underway to improve data for serious injury reporting.
- Developing national road safety indicators for injury
Australian cycling safety
In this paper, several sources of bicycle crash data and exposure data are used to provide an overview of cycling safety and data sources in Australia. Recent trends are identified. Section 1 presents latest casualty and fatality statistics, including tabulations by jurisdiction and age group. Section 2 presents analyses of crash type, vehicles-involved and location characteristics for crashes involving a cyclist casualty, and Section 3 explores recent Australian cycling exposure data.
- Australian cycling safety
Pedestrians and road safety
Pedestrians comprise the largest single road user group because almost everyone is a pedestrian at some point. People walk for leisure, to go to work, school or local shops, and to access other modes of transport. In Australia, there has been a consistent downward trend in total road fatalities, including pedestrian fatalities. Since 2005, pedestrian fatalities as a percentage of all road fatalities have remained relatively stable.
- Pedestrians and road safety
The impact of airbags and electronic stability control on Australian light vehicle fatalities
This Information Sheet presents estimates of the impact of airbags and electronic stability control (ESC) on fatalities in light vehicle crashes. It is estimated that frontal airbags have reduced light vehicle fatalities by 13 per cent, side airbags have reduced light vehicle fatalities by 4 per cent, and that ESC has reduced light vehicle fatalities by 6 per cent. Together, these measures are estimated to have reduced light vehicle fatalities by 23 per cent. This may account for the equivalent of around half the reduction in the fatality rate, per kilometre travelled, since 2007. The impacts of side airbags and ESC will increase as newer vehicles filter through the fleet.
- The impact of airbags and electronic stability control on Australian light vehicle fatalities
Archived Road Deaths In Crashes Involving Heavy Vehicles—Quarterly Bulletins
Older issues of Road Deaths In Crashes Involving Heavy Vehicles – Quarterly Bulletins are available below.
Formerly entitled ‘Fatal heavy vehicle crashes Australia—Quarterly Bulletins’.
- Apr-Jun 2024
- Jan-Mar 2024
- Oct-Dec 2023
- Jul-Sep 2023
- Apr-Jun 2023
- Jan-Mar 2023
- Oct-Dec 2022
- Jul-Sep 2022
- Apr-Jun 2022
- Jan-Mar 2022
- Oct-Dec 2021
- Jul-Sep 2021
- Apr-Jun 2021
- Jan-Mar 2021
- Oct-Dec 2020
- Jul-Sep 2020
- Apr-Jun 2020
- Jan-Mar 2020
- Oct-Dec 2019
- Jul-Sep 2019
- Apr-Jun 2019
- Jan-Mar 2019
- Oct-Dec 2018
- Jul-Sep 2018
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- Jan-Mar 2018
- Oct-Dec 2017
- Jul-Sep 2017
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- Jan-Mar 2017
- Oct-Dec 2016
- Jul-Sep 2016
- Apr-Jun 2016
- Jan-Mar 2016
- Oct-Dec 2015
- Jul-Sep 2015
- Apr-Jun 2015
- Jan-Mar 2015
- Oct–Dec 2014
- Jul–Sep 2014
- Apr–Jun 2014
- Jan–Mar 2014
- Oct–Dec 2013
- Jul–Sep 2013
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- Oct–Dec 2012
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- Oct–Dec 2011
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- Apr–Jun 2009
Impact of road trauma and measures to improve outcomes
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