An unwanted side effect of transport activity is accidents, the costs of which include loss of life or injury to persons, and the destruction of, and damage to, equipment and infrastructure.
Transport-related deaths fell by 12.4% between 1995 and 2000. Deaths from transport accidents occurred across all transport modes; however, the great majority (93.2% in 2000) were associated with road transport. Table 23.22 shows transport-related deaths across each of the transport modes for the six years to 2000.
23.22 DEATHS(a) FROM TRANSPORT ACCIDENTS
|
Mode | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 |
|
Road | | | | | | |
| Motor vehicle traffic accidents | 2,029 | 1,943 | 1,801 | 1,731 | 1,741 | 1,776 |
| Other | 97 | 89 | 75 | 82 | 120 | 102 |
| Total | 2,126 | 2,032 | 1,876 | 1,813 | 1,861 | 1,878 |
Rail | 48 | 34 | 39 | 43 | 43 | 43 |
Water | 60 | 59 | 48 | 39 | 57 | 51 |
Air | 65 | 71 | 49 | 63 | 50 | 43 |
Total(b) | 2,301 | 2,197 | 2,014 | 1,958 | 2,011 | 2,015 |
|
(a) Based on the International Classification of Deaths, Edition 9 (ICD9) for years up to and including 1998 and Edition 10 from 1999. Data in this table relate to year of registration of death and are based on death occurring up to one year following a transport accident. Data will therefore differ from the traffic fatalities shown in tables 23.23, 23.24 and 23.25 as data in those tables are based on year of occurrence of transport-related deaths which occur within 30 days of an incident.
(b) Includes vehicle accidents n.e.c. |
Source: Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages in each state and territory, data available on request. |
Rail and water accidents
As shown in table 23.22, in 2000 there were 51 deaths relating to water transport accidents, a 10.5% decrease from 1999, and 15.0% lower than the 60 deaths from water accidents in 1995. There were 43 rail transport accident-related deaths recorded in 2000, representing 2.1% of total transport accident deaths in Australia.