Author(s)

PETER J. KAVALAMTHARA, SAJAN CYRIL, YIYANG LIU, VIVIENNE SAVERIMUTTU

Abstract

Road traffic accidents are a major cause for concern worldwide. The World Health Organisation, in its 2018 report, estimates that approximately 1.35 million fatalities occurred on the roads in 2016. In 2009, this statistic was 1.22 million deaths per year resulting from a road accident. This steady growth has occurred despite an increasing number of countries introducing laws to promote best practice in reducing road accidents that could lead to fatalities on the road. Australia has been no exception in introducing laws targeting a reduction in accidents over the years and has been relatively successful compared to some Asian countries, for example India or China. There is a wide variation in the traffic death toll adjusted for number of vehicles or population across countries. The effectiveness of strategies adopted to manage this problem over the years also varies significantly across countries. Within Australia, New South Wales (NSW) is the most populous state and has the highest share of total vehicles in the country. Yet, the number of road traffic fatalities per 100,000 of population, in NSW, is less than the national average. This study is a review of the efficacy of road safety measures undertaken by the NSW Centre for Road Safety between 2010 and 2016 to improve road safety and reduce fatalities related to speeding. Data for the review is based on statistical reports and other studies issued by the NSW Centre for Road Safety and the Australian Bureau of Statistics. This review highlights lessons learned from the NSW experience that may be adopted by other countries in addressing this man-made disaster.

Keywords

road transport, fatalities, speeding, safety measures, lessons learned