In 2008 56% of all fatalities and 43% of serious injuries occur on rural roads
In 2008 43% of country fatalities occur on straight sections of road
48% of fatal crashes occur on open rural roads are single vehicle crashes such as rollovers and leaving the road out of control
13% of fatal and serious injury crashes occur when vehicles run off the road and hit fixed objects
30% of fatal crashes and 36% of serious injury crashes occur on roads with a speed limit of 110 km/h
33% of serious injury crashes occur on roads with a speed limit of 60 km/h
Who is involved
Nearly 74% of people who die in crashes and 62% of seriously injured are males
67% of drivers die or are seriously injured in rural areas live in rural areas
Young adults aged 17-24 make up only 11% of the total population but account for 28% of all road fatalities and 27% of serious injuries
People aged 65 and over make up 15.2% of the total population but are involved in 11% of all road fatalities and 11% of serious injury crashes
Who are the people who die in road crashes?
Drivers 45%
Passengers 24%
Pedestrians 12%
Motorcyclists 16%
Cyclists 1%
Who are the people seriously injured in road crashes?
Drivers 62%
Passengers 23%
Pedestrians 10%
Cyclists 5%
Road users involved in collisions 2008
Road User
Death
Seriously Injured
Males
73
763
Females
26
458
Total
99
1221
What are the causes?
Vehicle speed
Speed is a major factor in at least 36% of fatal crashes
The risk of casualty crashes in suburban streets doubles for each 5 km/h above 60 km/h
36% of all fatal crashes occur in speed zones of 70 km/h or less
33% of serious injury crashes occur on roads with a speed limit of 60 km/h
Drink driving
In 2008, 36% of people who died had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.05% or higher: most had BACs three times the legal limit
55% of drivers aged between 16 - 25 years who died had a BAC of 0.05% or higher
every 0.05% increase (BAC) above zero doubles the risk of crashing
Inattention and complacency
Inattention is a major factor in 60% of fatal crashes
Drug driving
In 2008 15% of drivers and riders tested positive to drugs
Legal or illegal drugs including amphetamine substances, cannabis and some prescription drugs can affect driver skills and attitudes
Seat belts
In 2008 39% of vehicle occupants who died were not wearing a seatbelt
5% of those seriously injured were not wearing a seatbelt
Young male drivers in rural areas, rear seat passengers, young children and heavy vehicle drivers are more likely not to wear seatbelts
Fatigue
Fatigue is a contributing factor in single vehicle crashes on rural roads
Fatigue is a contributing factor in 16% of fatal crashes
Fatigue is a significant factor in crashes involving heavy trucks
Data based on 2008 statistics. Sourced from SAPOL crash data
Relative to our population, South Australia has one of the highest fatality rates compared to other states and territories - 15% worse than the national average.
Road crashes on South Australian roads
kill a person every 2 to 3 days;
injure 24 people each day;
admit 4 people to hospital every day; and
cause serious damage to over 200 vehicles each day.
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