9311.0 - Motor Vehicles in Australia, 1997  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 27/06/1997   
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  • Motor vehicle related statistics - New ABS compendium (Media Release)

MEDIA RELEASE

June 27, 1997
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
79/97
Motor vehicle related statistics - New ABS compendium

A compendium publication which brings together information about motor vehicles and related topics, was released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The publication, Motor Vehicles In Australia, 1997, draws on a number of sources within and outside the ABS to cover such topics as: vehicle registrations (for both new vehicles and for the fleet in total); production and imports/exports; characteristics of the vehicle fleet; vehicle ownership and usage patterns, including road accident information; vehicle costs, including financing and operational costs; information concerning vehicle retail and manufacturing establishments; and, some international comparisons.

Findings include:
  • In 1995, there were 2,017 fatalities on Australian roads 1,413 of which were men and 604 women, at a rate of 11.2 per 100,000 persons. The 17-25 years age group, which comprised 13.9 per cent of the population in 1995, accounted for almost 30 per cent of these fatalities. Males comprised about 78 per cent of fatalities.
  • When fatality rates are adjusted for distance driven, the gender imbalance almost disappears, with 1.68 driver fatalities per 100 million kilometres travelled for males under 25 and 1.43 for females in the same age category.
  • In 1995-96, there were 302,551 passenger vehicles manufactured in Australia. The value of vehicles imported into Australia in 1995-96 was $6,200 million, comprising 8 per cent of total imports. By contrast, exports amounted to $686 million or just 0.9 per cent of total exports.
  • Total motor vehicle retailing and services employed over 215,000 persons in 1991-92, paying out $3,630 million in wages and salaries, recording almost $43,700 million in turnover and operating from 37,672 establishments.
  • In the 12 months to 30 September 1995, the fleet travelled an estimated total of 164,988 million kilometres with the petrol powered vehicles consuming an estimated 15,180 million litres of fuel. Male drivers/riders accounted for just under 70 per cent of the total distance travelled.
Copies of the publication Motor Vehicles In Australia, 1997 (cat. no. 9311.0) are available from ABS bookshops.