Annual Report 2006 (main body) - RTA - NSW Government

POSITIVE ROAD SAFETY OUTCOMES
INTERMEDIATE RESULTS
Safer road user behaviour,
vehicles and road
environment
FATALITIES
There were 508 fatalities on NSW roads in 2005
a further decrease on the level reached in 2004
with 510 fatalities.These results place the annual
NSW road toll for the past two years among the
lowest since the mid 1940s when the number of
vehicles was less than a tenth, and the population
was less than half that of 2005.
The NSW fatality rate per 100,000 population in
2005 was 7.5, the equal lowest figure since 1945.
This also compares favourably with the rate for
the whole of Australia at 8.0 fatalities per
100,000 population in 2005.
International comparisons show NSW ahead of
other OECD countries such as France (8.7
fatalities per 100,000 population), Italy (9.6), New
Zealand (9.9) and the United States (14.5), but
still lagging behind OECD leaders Sweden (4.9),
Netherlands (5.0) and the United Kingdom (5.3).
FACTORS
INVOLVED
IN CRASHES
A study of the calendar year ending
31 December 2005 revealed that:
Speeding was a factor in around 37
per cent of fatalities.
At least 16 per cent of fatalities were
the result of an incident involving a
driver or rider with a blood alcohol
level above the legal limit.
At least 17 per cent of people killed
in motor vehicles were not wearing
available restraints.
Driver fatigue contributed to about
19 per cent of fatalities.
At least 13 per cent of motorcyclists
killed were not wearing helmets.
Financial year figures are provided in
Table 2.
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POSITIVE ROAD SAFETY OUTCOMES