www.arrb.com.auAdvancing safety and efficiency in transport through knowledge

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The Canberra paradox - safe roads but no safer
drivers

• Peter Cairney

2
Background and purpose

• ACT has safest roads in Australia
• Urban roads
• Planned environment, road hierarchy, roads built
  to modern standards
• Previous study showed same number of fatal
  crashes and large number of injury crashes
  involving ACT drivers/vehicles in NSW
• Current study was intended to update these
  findings

3
Data sources

• RTA - records of crashes involving ACT drivers
  or vehicles, including geocodes, 1999-2003
• ACT Dept of urban services crash summaries,
  1999-2003
• Other Australian road and transport authorities,
  numbers of crashes involving ACT drivers or
  vehicles, 1999-2003

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Fatal crash rates, ACT and NSW
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Injury crash rates, ACT and NSW
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Crashes involving ACT drivers and vehicles in NSW
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Location of NSW crashes involving ACT drivers or
vehicles
8
Crash severity by year, crashes involving ACT
drivers or vehicles in NSW
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Day of crash, crashes involving ACT drivers or
vehicles in NSW
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Percentages of weekday and weekend crashes,
Sydney and main routes

• Weekday crashes Weekend crashes
• Metro Sydney 72.2 27.8
• Hume 66.9 33.1
• Kings 63.4 36.6
• Federal 63.3 36.7
• Pacific 76.0 24.0
• Princes 58.3 41.7
• Monaro 66.2 33.8

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Weekday and weekend crashes, in successive years
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Crashes in NSW by time of day, crashes involving
ACT drivers or vehicles in NSW
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Characteristics of crashes in neighbouring LGAs
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Characteristics of crashes in ACT and those
involving ACT drivers/vehicles in NSW
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Location of single vehicle and multi-vehicle
crashes
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Comparison with previous study no change
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Comparison with previous study changes
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In conclusion

• Well-established pattern of crashes involving ACT
  drivers and vehicles in NSW
• Approximately 10 fatal, 275 injury and 400
  tow-away crashes/year
• Large in relation to crashes within NSW
• Major locations are Sydney, major routes, and
  neighbouring LGAs
• Sydney, throughout the week, multi-vehicle,
  pedestrian
• Major routes, weekend, single vehicle
• Queanbeyan, focus on weekdays, multi-vehicle,
  pedestrian
• Other neighbouring LGAs weekend, single vehicle

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In conclusion

• Comparison with ACT crashes
• More single vehicle
• Motorcycles
• More male drivers
• Fewer older drivers
• Comparison with previous study
• Reductions in fatal and tow-away crashes
• Generally little change in pattern of crashes
• Fewer younger drivers, more older drivers