ROAD CRASH STATISTICS released by the Australian Government show the national road toll is on the rise, with 57 more people dying on our roads so far this year compared to the same period in 2008.
A total of 967 people were killed in Australian road accidents between the start of January and the end of August last year. This year, 1024 have perished over the same period.
After a steady decline in road fatalities over the past decade, 2009 is shaping up to be the first year in which overall road deaths have actually increased.
NSW suffered the most fatalities last month, recording 46 deaths. It was also the only state to undergo a significant increase in outright fatalities, having recorded 37 road deaths in August last year.
Queensland was a distant second with 23 fatalities, and Victoria third with 21.
Year to date, NSW still has the highest road toll at 309 killed, followed by Queensland with 236.
The statistics also show a shift in gender representation in car crashes. Around 6.7 percent more female drivers have been killed in vehicle accidents over the past 12 months, and the number of killed male drivers is down 8.2 percent.
Other road users have also suffered. Pedestrian fatalities have risen 14 percent over the past 12 months, and 11 more cyclists were killed between September 2008 and August 2009 compared to the same period a year before.
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Put up more speed cameras… that’ll fix it.
*cough*
Lets see better road design and maintenance (this includes country areas as well). It would make a huge difference to road safety.
Pededstrian fatalities up 14%!
It’s enough to make you look both ways, isn’t it?
Let’s create better transport options for people to get to work. We need better cycle networks and more park and ride facilities.
Speed kills. Right? So we have slowed down - there should be further decrease in road fatalities. So what is wrong with the “speed kills” mantra? Lets see: watch the speedo, not the road. I would like to know how many people died in accidents that involve trucks. As Mr Anonymous said up there “more speed cameras”. Watch for more police and more guilt thrown on the drivers, but no road improvement, no intelligence in traffic management.
Remember people, its all the hoons! Crush more cars, thatll fix it.
…Note sarcasm
To see increased fatalities on our roads is not surprising. In these tough economic times, people are more inclined work harder (to rediculous hours) causing tiredness, to drink more booze, take more drugs and speed to escape the realities of their own depressing lives. Unfortunately this also impacts on the rest of us who are doing ok, and just happen to be in the wrong spot at the right time to bare the brunt of it all. Unfortunately, my cousin who lived in Central QLD was one of these innocent people, and was apart of the statistics in 2007.
To add to the fire, the respective state governments have failed recognise that more speed cams don’t equate to fewer fatalities, and in some locations, it can prove quite the opposite. Its all about revenue, not kerbing the onslaught..
In the end, speed cameras are really only good for “specific” locations (spots where people blatently speed because they can), and in anycase, once they’re past the cam, they’re back to over the limit - so really whats the point? It also doesn’t help when the majority of the fixed cams are represented in everyone’s TomToms.
IMO, the only solution that should be entertained is to increase the numbers of police to enable appropriate levels of survelience of our HWYs and local streets (and at the same time, providing jobs for Australians).
And while we’re at it, maybe we should look at our very expensive judicial system that seems to think that 2 years jail in min security getup, loss of licence for 5 years and a $10,000 fine is appropriate for taking someones life with a car….
My 2 cents