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Articulated truck crashes paint grim picture

Rigid truck crash numbers down as articulated increase

 

While fatal crashes involving heavy rigid trucks have decreased nearly 14 per cent compared to the previous corresponding period, the figures for articulated truck crashes paint a grim picture with a 6.7 per cent increase, according to Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE’s) June quarter report on heavy vehicle crashes.

The latest statistics follow a pattern similar to the previous quarter, which saw rigid truck crashes decrease and articulated truck crashes increases compared with the previous year.

BITRE’s April-June bulletin reports 111 deaths from 96 crashes involving articulated trucks and 79 deaths from 68 crashes involving heavy rigid trucks.

Fatal crashes involving heavy rigid trucks decreased in the past one year ending June in most states and territories except New South Wales and Tasmania.

Western Australia saw the biggest improvement, with four crashes compared to 14 in 2015, while Victoria saw 15 crashes this year, 31.8 per cent lower from last year’s 22.

NSW saw the figure increase by 40 per cent – from 20 in 2015 to 28 this year.

 

BITRE Fig

 

On the other hand, fatal crashes involving articulated trucks increased in the past one year in all states and territories except Victoria, which showed a 39.1 per cent average annual decrease.

South Australia ranked the highest in this list with a 62.5 per cent increase, followed by Tasmania 25 per cent, WA 22 per cent, NSW 16.7 per cent, and Queensland 9.5 per cent.

However, fatal crashes involving both rigid trucks and articulated trucks have decreased on an average over a three-year period, with the former down 2.4 per cent per year and the latter down 5 per cent per year.

For more details, visit the BITRE website.

 

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