Fatal crashes involving heavy articulated vehicles lead way, plummeting into double figures last year
The freight transport industry can do worse than bring political and social attention to the continuing downward trend of fatal crashes involving heavy vehicles
The latest Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) quarterly bulletin for October to December last year confirmed the good news.
Having remained stubbornly range-bound between 160 and 120 a year for 10 years, fatal crashes involving heavy articulated vehicles plunged 28.9 per cent to 87 last year.
The quarter decrease was 29.8 per cent compared with the corresponding period a year earlier and has fallen by an average of 9.9 per cent per year over the three years to December 2013.
The numbers of deaths was correspondingly down 28.4 per cent, from 148 to 106.
Happily also, the formerly recalcitrant heavy rigid figures were also down after an alarming rise through 2011 and 2012.
Fatal crashes involving heavy rigid trucks fell 19.8 per cent from 86 to 69. That is almost as low as the 2011 figure of 57, while 2012’s toll of 86 was only one down on 2008’s 87.
They also fell 19.8 per cent for the quarter compared with the corresponding period one year earlier.
The heavy rigid crash deaths were also down, by 24.5 per cent for the year, from 98 to 74.
Of the states that bucked the full year 2013 trend, it was Western Australia and South Australia for articulated trucks and New South Wales for heavy rigids.