Number of people killed on Australian roads has fallen by more than 3 percent in the last year
May 11, 2012
The number of people killed on Australian roads has fallen by more than 3 percent in the last year, according to the latest road death statistics released today.
The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics’ Road Deaths Australia: Monthly Bulletin April 2012 says the number of people killed in road crashes during the 12 months to April 2012 reduced by more than 40.
Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure and Transport, Catherine King says the latest figures show a downward trend in road deaths.
“According to these statistics, the number of people killed on our roads over Easter this year is the lowest in 10 years,” King says.
“Nearly all states over the Easter holiday period recorded the lowest number of people killed in road crashes.”
The five year trends show the current rate of deaths per population represents a 25 percent reduction from five years ago and that across jurisdictions, latest annual comparisons show large falls in Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT.
“There were still 102 road deaths in April, but compared to the average for April over the previous five years, the current figure is 18.7 per cent lower,” King says.
She adds that new figures also show deaths of young adults between the ages of 17 to 25 have been falling at an average of 7.9 per cent per year.
King says governments are working hard to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads. The National Road Safety Strategy aims to cut road deaths and serious injuries by at least 30 percent by 2020.