Accident Stats Review

[russellw]

It's been three years since we last visited the statistical data for road traffic accidents so it is time to review the trends and see whether the changes being made by our various legislators are having a positive impact.

This analysis will be divided into two parts, the first is already available in the Accident Statistics 2013 Part 1 - and the second will be available later today.

Please feel free to comment here.

[Franco Cozzo]

Interesting that in the late 1960s it peaked at its highest deaths when there where probably a quarter of the cars on the road compared to today.

Guess those old cars aren't as fantastic in accidents as certain people claim they are.

Its not speed cameras bringing that down its technology advancement in cars, they become safer all the time.

[82XD393.3v]

the drop from 1970 seems to coincide with the introduction of compulsory seat belt use and the only other large dip in the 90s could this be the introduction of abs brakes and air bags??. interesting to note no large dip to coincide with speed cameras

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by 82XD393.3v

the drop from 1970 seems to coincide with the introduction of compulsory seat belt use and the only other large dip in the 90s could this be the introduction of abs brakes and air bags??. interesting to note no large dip to coincide with speed cameras

I don't understand why you wouldn't use a seat belt if it was fitted anyway? You'd have to be a complete retard to have it there and not wear it "because I don't have to".

[fordomatic]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I don't understand why you wouldn't use a seat belt if it was fitted anyway? You'd have to be a complete retard to have it there and not wear it "because I don't have to".

It's only normal now because of all the education about them. Back then the education about them wasn't there yet

[mechanic]

The 2 best improvements in motor vehicles since I started as a mechanic in 1966 are power assisted disc brakes and collapsible steering columns.
Used to be frightening to see cars come into the yard with the end of the steering shaft about 6 inches from the roof, don't know how the emergency crews or ambulance in those days got the driver out.
I'm surprised the accident rate isn't a lot less given the appalling system we have of speed limits getting lower and lower.
Getting anywhere now is just a procession of red lights, roundabouts, stop signs, speed bumps and speed limits ranging from 40-50 klm/hr.

[82XD393.3v]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I don't understand why you wouldn't use a seat belt if it was fitted anyway? You'd have to be a complete retard to have it there and not wear it "because I don't have to".

not sure its worth answering but you would be very surprised at how many people (*******) wont wear seat belts if not compulsory but you know best

[1TUFFUTE]

Originally Posted by mechanic

The 2 best improvements in motor vehicles since I started as a mechanic in 1966 are power assisted disc brakes and collapsible steering columns.
Used to be frightening to see cars come into the yard with the end of the steering shaft about 6 inches from the roof, don't know how the emergency crews or ambulance in those days got the driver out.
I'm surprised the accident rate isn't a lot less given the appalling system we have of speed limits getting lower and lower.
Getting anywhere now is just a procession of red lights, roundabouts, stop signs, speed bumps and speed limits ranging from 40-50 klm/hr.

Tell me about it. We went for a drive up the highway that we hadn't been on for many years. Used to take just over 1 hour. It now takes just under 2hours it was painfull.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I don't understand why you wouldn't use a seat belt if it was fitted anyway? You'd have to be a complete retard to have it there and not wear it "because I don't have to".

I spoke to a couple of Americans last year who don't like wearing seatbelts because it's 'their choice'
Honestly what is the benefit of not wearing a seatbelt???

I sort of get why people;
-speed. You get home fast/ it's more fun
-drink drive. Get home cheaper and easier than a taxi
-hoon, burnout, drag race. It's fun

but not wearing a seatbelt. Seriously whats the positive?

[irvinnie]

Compulsory use of seat belts and then the introduction of RBT (1982 then the reduction of the bac level from 0.08 to 0.05 in the early 90's) are the two biggest legislated aids to the road toll

[russellw]

The Accident Statistics Part 2 review has now been uploaded into the technical portal and deals with statistics by age, gender and road user type.

Due to the length of that Part, some data will be added to a 3rd part which should be available tomorrow.

Cheers
Russ

[russellw]

The 2013 Accident Statistics Part 3 review is now available.

It covers types of accidents, applicable speed zones, timing and heavy vehicle involvement.

Cheers
Russ

[MAD]

It would be good to see a comparison of average fleet age to go with this.

[jpblue1000]

Originally Posted by MAD

It would be good to see a comparison of average fleet age to go with this.

It would also be interesting to see vehicle type, Large sedan, small hatch, SUV, 4WD, micro, maxi etc to see how different types are reflected in the statistics. (I hope I didnt miss this)
I read a statistic from about 10-15 years ago pointing to the fact you were more likely to die in a falcon or commodore than a corolla, but this was a point in time where they were the dominant vehicle type on the road. With the massive improvements across the board in safety and dynamic performance in that time surely would have an effect on the stats.

JP

[LG17]

Originally Posted by Ben73

I spoke to a couple of Americans last year who don't like wearing seatbelts because it's 'their choice'
Honestly what is the benefit of not wearing a seatbelt???

I sort of get why people;
-speed. You get home fast/ it's more fun
-drink drive. Get home cheaper and easier than a taxi
-hoon, burnout, drag race. It's fun

but not wearing a seatbelt. Seriously whats the positive?

The benefit to me is that I am alive today.
Had I been wearing my seatbelt in 1969 I would have been crushed inside the car - it ended up only as high as the top of the wheels. As it was I was thrown out through the windscreen during one of the early rolls and landed in a soft bush in a garden.

I will say that I know what happened to me is not the norm and I always wear my belt today.



Very interesting stats!
Thanks Russellw!

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Its not speed cameras bringing that down its technology advancement in cars, they become safer all the time.

Probably more to do with better body structure design and crumple zones, although passive safety features no doubt are a big factor.

But of course with some people you can't design out stupidity.

[russellw]

Originally Posted by MAD

It would be good to see a comparison of average fleet age to go with this.

We last did a review of the Australian Vehicle Fleet in 2008 but I'll dust off the data and update it later today.

Cheers
Russ

[russellw]

The review of the Australian Vehicle Fleet 2013 is now completed and can be used in conjunction with the accident statistics.

Cheers
Russ

[russellw]

Originally Posted by jpblue1000

It would also be interesting to see vehicle type, Large sedan, small hatch, SUV, 4WD, micro, maxi etc to see how different types are reflected in the statistics. (I hope I didnt miss this)
I read a statistic from about 10-15 years ago pointing to the fact you were more likely to die in a falcon or commodore than a corolla, but this was a point in time where they were the dominant vehicle type on the road. With the massive improvements across the board in safety and dynamic performance in that time surely would have an effect on the stats.

JP

It would be interesting and no doubt these stats are recorded but I can't find any published ones. I'll check with MUARC and see what they have.

Cheers
Russ

[Franco Cozzo]

Look at the fatalities in 2013 of P platers/Young adults vs middle aged:





Where are the plates and vehicle restrictions for the 40-59 year olds?

[garcar]

Over the past 6 months or so, I have driven three of my vehicles on trips each exceeding 1,000 ks - the vehicles being a 1955 Oldsmobile, a 1977 Ford LTD P6 and a 2004 Mercedes E500. All vehicles were (for various reasons) considered to be quite sophisticated for their era, all are V8s, all are in 'original spec' and all comfortably sit on highway speed limits.

One thing that is obvious to me is the dramatic changes to car design and technology over the time span of these vehicles. All driving experiences were very enjoyable, but there is no doubt whatsoever that levels of driver fatique diminished noticeably as the vehicle age decreased. My perceived feeling of safety increased as the vehicle age decreased.

Coupled with much better roads over my 40+ years of driving, improvements in vehicle design (plus seat belt reqirements) must be a very significant factor in road fatalities on the highways in Australia.

If only other distractions when driving (particularly smoking and using mobile phones) could somehow be removed then perhaps our road stats could be further improved.

[russellw]

Originally Posted by jpblue1000

It would also be interesting to see vehicle type, Large sedan, small hatch, SUV, 4WD, micro, maxi etc to see how different types are reflected in the statistics.JP

As I said earlier, I have found some research around this and the results of that research are encapsulated below.

2002 USA Study
Marc Ross, University of Michigan, Physics Department
Tom Wenzel, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Reasonably comprehensive with a large database of incidents to look at this study was tasked with establishing whether there was a greater risk associated with smaller vehicles. For the purpose of this exercise it is only the risk to drivers (rather than other occupants) that is being assessed.

While based on US models and a little old, here are the high level findings:

Midsize and Large Cars. The safest mid-size and large cars (Avalon, Camry, and Accord) are as safe as the safest SUV (Suburban); average mid-size and large cars are just as safe as the average SUV. However, SUVs impose a greater risk on drivers of other vehicles than do all types of cars.

The combined risk of the average SUV (129) is about 30% higher than that for the average large car (100) and 25% higher than that for the average
mid-size car (105), while the safest SUV (Suburban, 111) has at least a 40% higher combined risk than the three safest mid-size and large cars (Avalon, 63; Camry, 72; and Accord, 79).

Sub-compact and Compact Cars. The safest sub-compact (Civic and Jetta) and compact (626 and Altima) car models are as safe to their drivers as the average SUV. When one considers the combined risk, including those killed in the other vehicle in two-vehicle crashes, then the safest sub-compact and compact models are actually safer than the average SUV. Moreover, the combined risk for the average sub-compact or compact car (147 and 136, respectively) is only slightly higher than that for the average SUV (129).

Minivans. Of all major vehicle types, minivans have the lowest risk and the lowest combined risk. This is probably due in part to the fact that minivans tend to be driven with special care, often being used for transporting a family’s children. Relatively few minivan drivers are found to be young males but the relatively low risk in minivans is probably not all due to driver behaviour. The popular minivans are built on car rather than pick-up truck platforms, which may reduce the risk to their drivers and certainly reduces the risk to other drivers. An example of this is that the car-based body of the Grand Cherokee has about 20% lower risk to its drivers than the truck-based Cherokee, a suggestive though statistically marginal result.

Pick-up Trucks. Pick-up trucks, as driven, are riskier than any other major type of vehicle. The risk to drivers of the average pick-up is higher than that for minivans, SUVs, and large and mid-size cars, although it is not significantly different from that for the average compact and sub-compact car. The combined risk is much higher than that for other vehicle types. This high risk is partly due to pick-up trucks being driven more in rural areas. It is well established that risk is high in rural driving due to factors such as higher speeds, more miles travelled, and poor road design and conditions.

Light trucks, especially pick-ups and to a lesser extent SUVs, are responsible for the deaths of many people in other vehicles, this result supports earlier findings by which examined the outcomes of two-vehicle crashes reported by the police. That study found that there are twice as
many deaths in car-to-pick-up crashes as in car-to-car crashes and 1.8x as many deaths in SUV-to-car crashes as in car-to-car crashes. The pattern in car-to-truck crashes is that people die in the truck somewhat less often than in car-to-car crashes, while people die in the car much more often. Nevertheless, trucks are not safer than cars: SUV and pick-up
users are at unusually high risk of death in one-vehicle crashes, such that drivers of average SUVs face the same risk as drivers of average midsize and large cars while drivers of average pick-ups face the same risk as drivers of average compact and sub-compact cars. A substantial part of the risks light trucks impose on other drivers is associated with the design of trucks.

Cheers
Russ

[irvinnie]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Look at the fatalities in 2013 of P platers/Young adults vs middle aged:

image

image

Where are the plates and vehicle restrictions for the 40-59 year olds?

Like all stats you have to look at all the data...even though those aged between 17 and 25 may look statistically in 2013 to be the least involved in a fatality what is their percentage of total drivers on the road??.... if for example they make up 25% of total fatilities yet only 5% of the amount of drivers on the road then they are still over represented... you need to take all of the data into account.

[aussie muscle]

the -93% drop in 110 fatalities during the period has seen a similar increase in 100 zones

so reducing the speed limit just moves the fatalities into a different category.

[Tomo 5]

I can't stand the the whole 'speed kills' thing lucky I live in the NT where there is a more reasonable 130km/h speed limit area

[GK]

Originally Posted by Ben73

I spoke to a couple of Americans last year who don't like wearing seatbelts because it's 'their choice'
Honestly what is the benefit of not wearing a seatbelt???

I sort of get why people;
-speed. You get home fast/ it's more fun
-drink drive. Get home cheaper and easier than a taxi
-hoon, burnout, drag race. It's fun

but not wearing a seatbelt. Seriously whats the positive?

You're not thinking like an American. They are (for very good reason) very particular about their rights and freedom.

Personally, I reckon not wearing seatbelts is crazy, but I can understand their viewpoint.

GK