Latest news with #BITRE
Yahoo
23-02-2025
- Yahoo
Aussie drivers accused of 'selfish' road act amid widespread trend: 'Needs to stop'
Police are urgently warning the public to slow down and drive safely, as road deaths in the country's south soar to dizzying new heights. Across South Australia, so far 17 people have been killed on the state's roads this year already, with "vulnerable" residents, including pedestrians and cyclists, overrepresented in the grim statistics. Police say by this time in 2024, 13 people had died, with the spike prompting officers to renew their plea to motorists — particularly due to the fact dangerous driving and speeding were the two biggest factors contributing to the shocking death tally. It's a trend that appears to be taking place nationwide, with 2024 crowned the deadliest on Australia's roads in over a decade. Governments are facing mounting pressure to take bold action to reduce road fatalities, with data revealing the death toll has been rising in recent years at a pace not seen since 1966. Research conducted by the federal Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) showed that 1,300 people died on Australian roads in 2024 — up from 1,258 in 2023. It's reflective of four years of surging deaths on our roads, which has not occurred since before seatbelts were made mandatory in the '60s. A mind-blowing 359 people died in the three months to the end of December last year. In SA, Acting Superintendent Jaimi Burns said regional roads continue to be where most of the fatal accidents occur in the state. "Serious road trauma often involves one or more of the Fatal Five road behaviours that significantly increase the risk of being involved in a crash," Burns told media. "Tragically, this means almost all lives lost and serious injuries could have been prevented through safer road behaviours. With distraction and speeding playing a major role in so many crashes last year, the critical message to road users across South Australia is clear — these selfish behaviours need to stop." She said police are "pleading" with the public to take notice of the advice, especially among younger drivers. Burns said young drivers aged 16 to 24, along with passengers under 16, were disproportionately affected in fatal and serious injury crashes. To highlight the issue, SAPOL has released images from mobile detection cameras that appear to show drivers distracted behind the wheel. In one image, a driver is seen holding a wrap in one hand and a mobile phone in the other, with neither hand on the wheel. Another photo captures a different driver also with no hands on the wheel, instead holding a can of drink and their phone. Another motorist was photographed with both hands on the wheel, but their smartphone was resting on their bicep. In a fourth image taken by a detection camera, a driver is holding a bottle of drink in one hand, though it is unclear whether their left hand is on the wheel. In 2024, 11 young drivers lost their lives, while 155 sustained serious injuries. Additionally, three passengers under 16 were killed, and 16 suffered serious injuries. "South Australia Police will remain committed to enforcing road safety through education and statewide enforcement to deter and detect unsafe driving behaviours," Burns said. "It is crucial for everyone to recognize that making responsible and safe choices on the road can prevent crashes and save lives." In 2024, 91 lives lost were lost on SA roads and 847 people were left with serious injuries resulting from road crashes, with the majority of incidents occurring on regional roads. Distraction, driving dangerously and speeding were the leading causes of last year's 847 serious injury crashes. Additionally. drug driving was a contributing factor in 70 regional serious injury crashes and 129 motorcycle serious injury crashes. "Speed is the key factor in 99 per cent of crashes," Dr Chris Stokes, road safety researcher at the University of Adelaide previously told Yahoo. "The faster you hit an object, the harder the impact is going to be." Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
12-YEAR HIGH: Urgent warning over deadly trend on Aussie roads
Governments are facing mounting pressure to take bold action to reduce road fatalities in Australia, as new data reveals the death toll has been rising in recent years at a pace not seen since 1966. Research conducted by the the federal Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) showed that 1,300 people died on Australian roads in 2024 — up from 1,258 in 2023. It's reflective of a four-year period of surging deaths our roads, which has not occurred since before seatbelts were made mandatory in the '60s. A mind-blowing 359 people died in the three months to the end of December last year. This grim statistic made 2024 the deadliest year on Australian roads since 2012, which also recorded 1,300 fatalities. The data further revealed that last year's road toll was 18.5 per cent higher than in 2021, the year a 10-year plan to halve road deaths was launched. Though driver and passenger deaths slightly decreased in 2024 compared with levels in 2023, roads became much more deadly for other users, including pedestrians. Pedestrian deaths rose from 156 in 2023 to 167 in 2024 — a 7.1 per cent increase — while cyclist deaths jumped from 34 in 2023 to 38 in 2024, a significant rise of 11.8 per cent. Motorcyclist deaths increased from 252 in 2023 to 278 in 2024 – an increase of 10.3 per cent – making last year the deadliest calendar year for motorbike deaths since 1989. The landmark 2020 federal strategy to slash deaths by 2030 is "wildly off-track", according to the Australian Automobile Association (AAA). It has now has called on the Albanese government to force states to produce data about the safety scores of individual roads, if they plan on using federal funding to improve it. Queensland's road fatalities rose from 277 in 2023 to 302 in 2024, while Western Australia saw an increase from 158 to 185. The Northern Territory experienced a sharp rise in deaths, climbing from 31 in 2023 to 58 in 2024, and the Australian Capital Territory's toll grew from four to 11 during the same period. Although road fatalities rose nationally, some states and territories saw improvements in 2024 compared to 2023. Victoria's toll fell from 296 to 281, Tasmania's dropped from 35 to 32, and South Australia recorded a decline from 117 to 91. Meanwhile, fatalities in New South Wales remained unchanged at 340. Although seatbelt use became mandatory in front seats in Australia in 1969 and for all seats by 1971, road fatalities have been rising in recent years at a pace not seen since 1966. Major change coming to Aussie road this week after '125 near-misses' Plea for change after 'shocking' road deaths New road rule proposal in Aussie state amid increase in cyclist deaths The trajectory means no state or territory is on track to achieve the objectives of Australia's National Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, to halve road deaths, the association's managing director Michael Bradley said. "We must use data and evidence about crashes, the state of our roads and the effectiveness of police traffic enforcement to establish what is going wrong on our roads and create more effective interventions," Bradley said. "Australia's rising road toll underscores the importance of using road condition data to direct road funding, and to prevent the politicisation of scarce public funds.'' Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
The Guardian
27-01-2025
- Automotive
- The Guardian
Australia's road toll hits 12-year high as pedestrian and cyclist fatalities rise
Australia's roads are getting deadlier, as a four-year period of surging fatalities marks a trend of increasing danger not recorded since the 1960s, before seatbelts were compulsory. Annual road fatality data collated by the federal government's Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) shows that 1,300 people died on Australian roads in 2024, up from 1,258 in 2023. A sharp spike in fatalities towards the end of the year, with 359 people dying in the three months to the end of December, confirmed 2024 as the deadliest year for Australian roads since 2012, when the figure was also 1,300. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Last year's road toll was 18.5% higher than 2021, when a 10-year plan to halve road deaths was introduced. The Australian Automobile Association (AAA) has called on the Albanese government to force states to produce data about the safety scores of an individual road if they want federal funding to improve it. The annual data also revealed that while driver and passenger deaths slightly decreased in 2024 compared to the previous year, roads became far more deadly for other users. Pedestrian deaths rose from 156 in 2023 to 167 in 2024, a 7.1% increase, while cyclist deaths jumped from 34 in 2023 to 38 in 2024, an 11.8% increase. Motorcyclist deaths increased from 252 in 2023 to 278 in 2024 – an increase of 10.3% – making last year the deadliest calendar year for motorbike deaths since 1989. Deaths in Queensland grew from 277 in 2023 to 302 in 2024, while Western Australia's toll increased from 158 to 185. There were jumps in deaths in the Northern Territory, from 31 in 2023 to 58 in 2024, while the Australian Capital Territory's total rose from four to 11 in 2024. While there has been a consistent increase nationally, some states and territories posted improvements in death tolls in 2024 compared with 2023, with Victoria recording a drop from 296 to 281, while Tasmania's total dropped from 35 to 32 and South Australia's dropped from 117 to 91. Deaths in New South Wales were 340, the same figure as in 2023. The trajectory means no state or territory is on track to achieve the objectives of Australia's National Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, to halve road deaths, the AAA said. However, the AAA noted that progress on other objectives of the strategy, related to serious injuries on roads, were impossible to measure, because states and territories had not been forthcoming with data. While the four consecutive years of increases have been in terms of total deaths, as opposed to per capita to take into account population growth, the AAA is still alarmed given the national strategy objective was to halve total deaths. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Road safety academics have considered a range of possible factors behind the increasing road toll, including deteriorating road quality and speed limits which are too high for smaller and rural roads, as well as impatience and poor driving habits which developed on emptier streets during lockdowns. Academics have also flagged the significant rise in SUV ownership over the past decade and their potential to lead to a sense of security which can make drivers less concerned about other road users' safety, as well as the larger vehicles being more dangerous in collisions. With the industry still unclear about how to reverse the trend of increasing road deaths, the AAA spent much of last year campaigning the federal government for better information about fatalities and serious injuries. In November, states and territories agreed to begin providing more data, including about the causes of crashes and the effectiveness of traffic police enforcement. Part of the data that states hold concerns the condition of individual roads, assessed using a standardised five-star scoring system known as AusRAP which uses engineering and other analysis to identify which roads need the most significant safety upgrades. The AAA said it wanted federal funding for any road to be contingent on states and territories providing its AusRAP score, with the peak motoring body believing this requirement would be a way to ensure road funding is not misused for pork barrelling. 'The AAA believes this transparency will save lives, while also showing Australians whether politicians are spending their taxes to save lives rather than winning votes in marginal electorates,' it said in a statement. Michael Bradley, the managing director of the AAA, said 'this critical data must be embedded into the road funding allocation process so investment can be prioritised to our most dangerous roads'. 'Australia's rising road toll underscores the importance of using road condition data to direct road funding, and to prevent the politicisation of scarce public funds,' he said.
