According to the data analysed in the statistical survey, the safest state or territory is the ACT, rated at just 4.1 road deaths per 100,000 drivers, while the most dangerous is the Northern Territory, which accumulated 26.1 road deaths per 100,000 in 2007. This wide variance illustrates how poorly the national average of 7.7 road deaths per 100,000 drivers reflects the actual situation on the roads.

Road death toll already high and still rising in some areas
The proliferation of speed cameras, car safety technology and government campaigns appear to have had little effect on road death toll figures over the past five years. In the Northern Territory the death toll has risen by 33% over the past year and Western Australia’s figure is up 15.8% as well. Several other states have seen rises as well, with only NSW, Victoria and Tasmania showing overall decreases.

The drops in the death rate in those states have been sufficient to mask the rise in the other states when looking at the nationwide figures, but the fact that the disparity exists indicates there is still much to be done in securing road safety.

Traffic accidents and fatalities also hurt the economy
Though the damage to state and city coffers pales in comparison to the loss of life, the $18 billion cost of road crashes each year is a mounting concern for the troubled economy. To take action against the rising death toll on the nation’s roads, the Rudd government has proposed a $70 million program targeted at preventing fatal truck accidents for over-the-road drivers, as well as instituting a new National Road Safety Action Plan and overseeing council.

Hopefully the new initiatives will achieve their goal of regaining the momentum of the 1980s and 1990s toward improving road safety, and are not just another round of political posturing to appear to be taking action. Recent studies of the efficacy of speed cameras show that they may not be as effective as once imagined in preventing road crashes or fatalities, with tens of thousands of Australians nabbed each year by the devices even in school zones.

According to the latest study, 31% of fatal crashes occurred in speed zones of 60km/h or less and another 22% in zones marked at 65-95km/h, placing the majority (53%) of fatal crashes in areas zoned at 95km/h or less. Motorcyclists, males and younger adults were at the highest risk for dying on the roads, though the 17-25 age group did see a significant 11% decrease in fatalities compared to 2007.

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