Segment shows acceleration as parity with articulated trucks looms
Fatal heavy rigid truck accidents have risen gradually during the decade but, in an alarming trend reversal, have continued to spike this year following a short-term dip to June last year.
Measured on a year-to-June basis, the figures for heavy rigids and articulated trucks are approaching parity for the first time, with fatal crashes at 82 and 85 respectively and fatalities at 94 and 95.
The latest Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) fatal heavy vehicle crashes quarterly bulletin for April-June shows that, in contrast to a significant decline in articulated trucks in the past decade, those for heavy rigids have passed figures last seen in 2009, at 91 in that year.
Read how the figures were trending in the previous BITRE bulletin, here
So far this decade, in the years ended in June, fatal articulated truck crashes have fallen unevenly from 161 to 95, while those for heavy rigids rose from 75 to 94.
Heavy rigids’ rise in the past three years has been 5.8 per cent, with all states bar Western Australia, which was at 0 per cent, contributing.
Fatal heavy articulated truck accidents to June were down two from last June, at 85.
All states contributed to the fall in the past 12 months bar South Australia, where such incidents rose from seven to 14.