Whether behind the wheel or astride a push bike, men are more likely to be seriously injured on the road than their female counterparts. Figures released today by the Institute of Health and Welfare (IHW) take a survey of data collected between 2005 and 2006 and analyse the results, comparing injury rates for gender, age, road user type and other factors.

A new campaign launched by NSW police to curb pedestrian fatalities and injuries by deterring the use of portable music players while walking on busy streets has borrowed a page from Apple - the manufacturer of the popular iPod music player. Using scenes that resemble the electronics giant’s own ‘iconic’ campaign, the ads depict pedestrians lying dead on public streets, outlined in white by their fallen earphone cables.

Taking up the other side of the argument, however, a pedestrian rights group is calling for a ban on the use of headphones while driving.

A proposal for the introduction of a congestion charge on traffic entering Sydney’s central business district (CBD) has been rejected as inappropriate for NSW motorists by Roads minister Eric Rozendaal. Sydneysiders already face very high expenses related to motoring, including high interest rates and petrol prices, and Rozendaal thinks adding to that burden in any way would only hurt families already struggling to make ends meet.

The never-ending struggle to reduce the road toll and improve safety for all motorists is leading the governments in NSW, Western Australia and Victoria to test small fleets of cars equipped with a satellite-positioning system that is aware of local speed limits and can adjust the car’s speed into compliance if the driver does not respond to audible warnings. The first state to introduce the trial cars will be NSW, which will launch 100 of the vehicles in July at a cost of $1 million.