BITRE figures show articulated vehicle numbers rising – heavy rigids too but less so
A period of reduction in articulated vehicle fatalities failed to be sustained last year, the latest the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) figures show.
The rolling quarterly statistics for July to September last year show fatal articulated truck crashes rose 13 per cent for the 12 months to September, compared with the same previous period.
This was at odds with an average 8.4 per cent decrease for the period over three years.
By contrast, while the increase in heavy rigid fatal crashes for that 12 months also rose, by 1.3 per cent, it was at a much slower pace compared with the three year average to last September of 5.4 per cent.
In total for the period, there were 116 deaths from 104 articulated truck crashes and 84 deaths from 76 heavy rigid crashes.
State by state, those failing to gain or sustain improvements for articulated trucks, both on a 12-month and a three-year basis were Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria.
For heavy rigid trucks, only Queensland has a strong record over the past three years’ figures, with Victoria and New South Wales showing increases.
Truck occupants bore the brunt of accidents, with drivers and passengers outnumbering other fatalities five to one in articulated truck incidents and four to one in heavy rigids.
The full figures can be viewed here.