Australia Mid-Pack On Road Toll Figures, Behind On Improvement: IRTAD

The annual report from the International Road Traffic and Accident Database (IRTAD) shows Australia’s road toll placed firmly in the middle of the pack when compared to other developed countries.

Data from the report, which was obtained in 2013, shows Australia’s road toll ranks us 15th from the 32 countries that participate in the Database with 5.1 deaths per 100,000 people.

It’s the same story when travel distances are considered, with Australia recording 5.0 deaths per one billion vehicle kilometres in 2013 - which again places us mid-pack.

Countries with more favourable road tolls than Australia include Germany, Japan and the United Kingdom, while Sweden leads the way overall with 2.7 deaths per 100,000 people. 

Germany’s result of 4.1 - in a country with part open speed limits on its autobahns and with a road toll which is steadily improving - again puts Australia’s 110km/h or less speed limit on the majority of major highways (outside the Northern Territory) in the spotlight.

France, The Netherlands, Denmark and others, including overall leader Sweden, also have higher speed limits than Australia along with lower road tolls per 100,000 people.

The worst road toll per 100,000 belongs to Argentina with 12.3 deaths, ahead of Chile (12), the USA (10.3) and South Korea (10.1). 

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