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R EPORTED R OAD C RASHES IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA 2003

REPORTED ROAD CRASHES - RSC Data/Statistics... · were 36,012 police reported road crashes involving ... short and long term to plan and ... by Age Group and Day of Week of Crash,

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  • REPORTED ROAD CRASHES IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA 2003

  • i

    Road Safety Council of Western Australia Document Retrieval Information ___________________________________________________________________________

    Date Pages ISBN June 2006 111 1 876999 53 5

    ___________________________________________________________________________ TITLE Reported Road Crashes in Western Australia 2003 ___________________________________________________________________________ AUTHOR(S) Legge, M, Williams, HA, Cercarelli, LR ___________________________________________________________________________ PERFORMING ORGANISATION Injury Research Centre School of Population Health The University of Western Australia 35 Stirling Highway CRAWLEY WA 6009 Tel: (08) 6488 1302 Fax: (08) 6488 1199 ___________________________________________________________________________ SPONSOR Road Safety Council of Western Australia c/- Office of Road Safety Department of the Premier and Cabinet 40 St Georges Terrace PERTH WA 6000 Tel: (08) 9222 9922 Fax: (08) 9325 2817 ___________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT This report presents information on road crashes which occurred in Western Australia in 2003. There were 36,012 police reported road crashes involving 68,300 vehicles, which resulted in 10,276 casualties. ___________________________________________________________________________ KEYWORDS Accident statistics, Accident severity, Blood alcohol content, Drink driving, Drugs, Fatality, Helmet use, Injury, Restraint use, Road environment, Rural area, Seat belt, Speeding, Urban area, Vehicle type, Western Australia. ___________________________________________________________________________ NOTE This report is distributed in the interests of information exchange and is available on the Internet at the Office of Road Safety web site http://www.officeofroadsafety.wa.gov.au/ or at Main Roads WA web site http://www.mainroads.wa.gov.au, where intersection rankings and metropolitan traffic flows can be viewed. This publication is also available in alternative formats (eg, audio tape, computer disc, large print or braille) by contacting the Office of Road Safety on (08) 9222 9922.

  • ii

    FOREWORD

    Road trauma in 2003 in Western Australia almost mirrors the statistics for 2002. This disappointing fact is borne out by the statistics for both years. On the positive side, statistics for 2003 are an overall improvement on the five-year average. There were 179 fatalities in 2003 the same number as for 2002 which represents a 10 per cent decrease compared to the previous five-year average. The 2,874 hospitalised casualties in 2003 compared to 2,878 the previous year, represent a 16 per cent increase compared to the previous five-year average number. Obviously we cannot be complacent when it comes to road trauma especially when it cost the community nearly $1.8 billion in 2003. Nationally, the cost of road trauma is $17 billion. Of those killed 65 per cent were male and 35 per cent were female. Thirty per cent of those killed were aged between 17 and 24 and 23 per cent were aged between 25 and 39. Drivers accounted for 46 per cent of those killed and 30 per cent were passengers. The majority of fatal crashes 51 per cent - occurred in rural areas while 49 per occurred in the metropolitan area. Alcohol, speed and restraints were again the major cause of all fatalities with alcohol responsible for 21 per cent of them. Speed was responsible for 37 per cent of fatalities and a factor in 62 per cent of motorcycle fatalities. More than half 60 per cent of speed-related fatal crashes involved a single vehicle hitting an object such as a tree. Disturbingly, of the 17-24 year olds killed in 2003, 30 per cent died in an alcohol related crash compared to 20 per cent of all age groups. Also amongst this age group 24 per cent of fatalities and hospitalisation (combined) were speed-related compared to 17 per cent for the whole population. The Road Safety Council is dedicated to reducing road trauma on Western Australian roads and is currently examining a number of initiatives to put to the State Government in the next two years. They include new provisions for novice drivers and repeat drink drivers. While these statistics can help us in the short and long term to plan and implement responses, it is the responsibility of every road user driver, motorcyclist, rider, passenger or pedestrian to do their utmost to reduce the senseless carnage and serious injury on our roads. Grant Dorrington Independent Chair Road Safety Council of Western Australia

  • iii

    TABLE OF CONTENTS

    LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................................................... iv

    LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................................................................ix

    LIST OF APPENDICES ...............................................................................................................................................x

    ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................................................xi

    INTERPRETATION OF THIS REPORT ...............................................................................................................xii

    KEY FACTS FOR 2003............................................................................................................................................xiii

    1. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................................1

    2. POLICE REPORTED DATA................................................................................................................................2

    2.1 Fatalities ...........................................................................................................................................................2

    2.2 Hospitalised Casualties ................................................................................................................................4

    2.3 Trends in Road Traffic Crashes and Casualties .....................................................................................6

    2.3.1 Western Australia Compared to Australia .............................................................................. 10

    2.4 Road Users Involved in Crashes............................................................................................................. 11

    2.4.1 Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties Injured on Western Australian Roads in 2003... 11

    2.4.2 Road Traffic Casualties by Broad Age Groups........................................................................ 21

    2.5 Road User Groups..................................................................................................................................... 36

    2.6 Higher Risk Behaviours............................................................................................................................. 43

    2.6.1 Alcohol and Drugs.......................................................................................................................... 43

    2.6.2 Speed ................................................................................................................................................. 49

    2.6.3 Restraint Use ................................................................................................................................... 57

    2.6.4 Helmet Use ...................................................................................................................................... 62

    2.7 Other Factors.............................................................................................................................................. 64

    2.7.1 Crash Type....................................................................................................................................... 64

    2.7.2 Road Environment.......................................................................................................................... 68

    2.7.3 Temporal Factors ........................................................................................................................... 70

    2.7.4 Vehicle Type .................................................................................................................................... 76

    3. HOSPITAL ADMISSION DATA ..................................................................................................................... 77

    4. RECOMMENDED READING LIST ................................................................................................................ 84

    5. RELEVANT WEBSITE ADDRESSES ............................................................................................................... 85

    APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................................................ 86

    FEEDBACK QUESTIONNAIRE .......................................................................................................................... 110

  • iv

    LIST OF TABLES

    Table 1 Road Traffic Crash Involvement by Injury Severity, Western Australia, 2002, 2003 and Five Year Average 1998-2003 ..............................................................................................................6

    Table 2 Road Traffic Fatality and Hospitalised Casualty Rates per 10,000 Registered Motor Vehicles, Western Australia, 1998-2003 ...........................................................................................6

    Table 3 Road Traffic Fatality and Hospitalised Casualty Rates per 100 Million Vehicle Kilometres Travelled, Western Australia, 1998-2003 .........................................................................................7

    Table 4 Road Traffic Fatality and Hospitalised Casualty Rates per 100,000 Population, Western Australia, 1998-2003...............................................................................................................................7

    Table 5 Deaths and Potential Years of Life Lost for All Causes of Death, Western Australia, 2003 ............................................................................................................................................................8

    Table 6 Estimated Cost of Crashes to the Western Australian Community: A Comparison Between 2002 and 2003 ........................................................................................................................9

    Table 7 Road Traffic Fatalities and Fatality Rates, Australian States and Territories, 1998-2003.... 10

    Table 8 Road Traffic Fatalities by Age Group and Gender, Western Australia, 1994-2003............. 11

    Table 9 Road Traffic Fatalities by Age Group and Gender, Western Australia, 2003 ....................... 12

    Table 10 Road Traffic Fatalities by Age Group Subtotals and Gender, Western Australia, 2003 ..... 12

    Table 11 Road Traffic Fatalities by Age and Gender, Western Australia, 2003 Compared to Five Year Average ......................................................................................................................................... 13

    Table 12 Road Traffic Fatalities by Age Group Subtotals and Gender, Western Australia, 2003 Compared to Five Year Average ...................................................................................................... 14

    Table 13 Hospitalised Road Traffic Casualties by Age Group and Gender, Western Australia, 1994-2003 ......................................................................................................................................................... 15

    Table 14 Hospitalised Road Traffic Casualties by Age Group and Gender, Western Australia, 200316

    Table 15 Hospitalised Road Traffic Casualties by Age Group Subtotals and Gender, Western Australia, 2003 ...................................................................................................................................... 16

    Table 16 Hospitalised Road Traffic Casualties by Age and Gender, Western Australia, 2003 Compared to Five Year average ....................................................................................................... 17

    Table 17 Hospitalised Road Traffic Casualties by Age Group Subtotals and Gender, Western Australia, 2003 Compared to Five Year average .......................................................................... 18

    Table 18 Road Traffic Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group, Western Australia, 1998-2003............................................................................................................................ 19

    Table 19 Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group and Region, 2003..................... 20

    Table 20 Child Road Traffic Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group and Age Group, Western Australia, 2003 ...................................................................................................... 22

    Table 21 Restraint Use of Child Motor Vehicle Occupant Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group, Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003 ............................................. 22

    Table 22 Child Fatalities by Highest Blood Alcohol Concentration of the Crash, Fatal Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003................................................................................. 22

    Table 23 Speed as a Factor for Child Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group, Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003................................................................................. 23

  • v

    Table 24 Child Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group and Time of Day of Crash, Western Australia, 2003..................................................................................................................... 23

    Table 25 Young Adult Road Traffic Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group and Age Group, Western Australia, 2003.............................................................................................. 25

    Table 26 Restraint Use of Young Adult Motor Vehicle Occupant Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group, Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003.................... 25

    Table 27 Blood Alcohol Concentration of Young Adult Drivers and Motorcycle Riders Involved in Fatal, Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003 ......................................................... 25

    Table 28 Young Adult Fatalities by Highest Blood Alcohol Concentration of the Crash, Fatal Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003................................................................................. 26

    Table 29 Speed as a Factor for Young Adult Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group, Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003 .................................................................... 26

    Table 30 Young Adult Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group and Time of Day of Crash, Western Australia, 2003 ....................................................................................................... 27

    Table 31 Young Adult Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group and Day of Week of Crash, Western Australia, 2003 ....................................................................................................... 27

    Table 32 Mature Adult Road Traffic Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group and Age Group, Western Australia, 2003.............................................................................................. 28

    Table 33 Restraint Use of Mature Adult Motor Vehicle Occupant Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group, Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003.................... 29

    Table 34 Blood Alcohol Concentration of Mature Adult Drivers and Motorcycle Riders Involved in Fatal, Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003 ......................................................... 29

    Table 35 Mature Adult Fatalities by Highest Blood Alcohol Concentration of the Crash, Fatal Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003................................................................................. 30

    Table 36 Speed as a Factor for Mature Adult Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group, Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003 .................................................................... 30

    Table 37 Mature Adult Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group and Time of Day of Crash, Western Australia, 2003 ....................................................................................................... 31

    Table 38 Mature Adult Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group and Day of Week of Crash, Western Australia, 2003 ....................................................................................................... 31

    Table 39 Senior Adult Road Traffic Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group and Age Group, Western Australia, 2003.............................................................................................. 33

    Table 40 Restraint Use of Senior Adult Motor Vehicle Occupant Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group, Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003.................... 33

    Table 41 Speed as a Factor for Senior Adult Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group, Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003 .................................................................... 34

    Table 42 Senior Adult Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group and Time of Day of Crash, Western Australia, 2003 ....................................................................................................... 34

    Table 43 Senior Adult Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group and Day of Week of Crash, Western Australia, 2003 ....................................................................................................... 35

    Table 44 Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group, Age Group and Gender, Western Australia, 2003..................................................................................................................... 36

    Table 45 Driver Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Area of Crash, Age Group and Gender, Western Australia, 2003..................................................................................................................... 38

  • vi

    Table 46 Passenger Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Area of Crash, Age Group and Gender, Western Australia, 2003..................................................................................................................... 39

    Table 47 Motorcyclist Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Area of Crash, Age Group and Gender, Western Australia, 2003 .................................................................................................... 40

    Table 48 Bicyclist Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Area of Crash, Age Group and Gender, Western Australia, 2003..................................................................................................................... 41

    Table 49 Pedestrian Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Area of Crash, Age Group and Gender, Western Australia, 2003 .................................................................................................... 42

    Table 50 Highest BAC of Drivers/Riders Involved in Fatal Crashes, 1998-2003................................... 43

    Table 51 Highest BAC of Drivers/Riders Involved in Fatal Crashes by Region, 2003 .......................... 44

    Table 52 Highest BAC of Drivers/Riders Involved in Fatal Crashes by Driver/Rider Age Group, 2003 ......................................................................................................................................................... 45

    Table 53 Highest BAC of Drivers/Riders Involved in Fatal Crashes by Driver Gender, 2003 ........... 45

    Table 54 Fatalities Involved in Alcohol Related Crashes by Region, 2003............................................... 46

    Table 55 BAC of Pedestrian Fatalities by Area of Crash, 2003.................................................................. 46

    Table 56 BAC of Pedestrian Fatalities by Age Group, 2003 ....................................................................... 47

    Table 57 BAC of Pedestrian Fatalities by Gender, 2003.............................................................................. 47

    Table 58 Drugs Detected in Fatalities, 2003................................................................................................... 48

    Table 59 Fatalities by Speed as a Factor and Road User Group, Police Attended Crashes, 2003 .... 49

    Table 60 Drivers/Riders Involved in Fatal Crashes by Speed as a Factor, Driver Age Group and Gender, Police Attended Crashes, 2003 ........................................................................................ 50

    Table 61 Speed as a Factor by Crash Type and Area, Police Attended Fatal Crashes, 2003 ............. 51

    Table 62 Speed as a Factor by Severity, Police Attended Crashes, 2003 ................................................ 52

    Table 63 Speed as a Factor by Severity, Metropolitan Police Attended Crashes, 2003....................... 52

    Table 64 Speed as a Factor by Severity, Rural and Remote Area Police Attended Crashes, 2002... 53

    Table 65 Speed as a Factor by Area Speed Limit and Crash Severity, Police Attended Fatal and Hospitalisation Crashes, 2003 ........................................................................................................... 53

    Table 66 Speed as a Factor by Area Speed Limit and Region, Police Attended Fatal and Hospitalisation Crashes, 2003 ........................................................................................................... 55

    Table 67 Speed as a Factor by Highest BAC of the Crash, Police Attended Fatal Crashes, 2003 .... 57

    Table 68 Restraint Use of Passenger Vehicle Occupants Fatalities by Age Group and Gender, Police Attended Crashes, 2003 ..................................................................................................................... 58

    Table 69 Restraint Use of Passenger Vehicle Occupants by Occupant Types and Injury Severity, Police Attended Crashes, 2003......................................................................................................... 58

    Table 70 Restraint Use of Passenger Vehicle Occupants by Occupant Type and Injury Severity, Metropolitan Police Attended Crashes, 2003 ............................................................................... 59

    Table 71 Restraint Use of Passenger Vehicle Occupants by Occupant Type and Injury Severity, Rural and Remote Area Police Attended Crashes, 2003 ........................................................... 59

    Table 72 Restraint Use of Fatally Injured and Hospitalised Passenger Vehicle Occupants by Region, Police Attended Crashes, 2003......................................................................................................... 60

    Table 73 Restraint Use of Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities by Speed as a Factor, Police Attended Crashes, 2003 ..................................................................................................................... 60

  • vii

    Table 74 Restraint Use of Hospitalised Passenger Vehicle Occupants by Speed as a Factor, Police Attended Crashes, 2003 ..................................................................................................................... 61

    Table 75 Restraint Use of Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities by Driver BAC, Police Attended Fatal Crashes, 2003.............................................................................................................................. 61

    Table 76 Helmet Use of Motorcyclist Fatalities by Age Group and Gender, 2003............................... 62

    Table 77 Helmet Use of Motorcyclists and Bicyclists by Injury Severity, Police Attended Crashes, 2003 ......................................................................................................................................................... 63

    Table 78 Helmet Use of Motorcyclists and Bicyclists by Injury Severity, Metropolitan Police Attended Crashes, 2003 ..................................................................................................................... 63

    Table 79 Helmet Use of Motorcyclists and Bicyclists by Injury Severity, Rural and Remote Area Police Attended Crashes, 2003......................................................................................................... 63

    Table 80 Fatal and Hospitalisation Crashes by Severity, Crash Type and Area of Crash, 2003 ........ 65

    Table 81 Fatal and hospitalisation Crashes by Region and Crash Type, 2003 ........................................ 66

    Table 82 Crashes by Severity and Region, 2003 ............................................................................................ 67

    Table 83 Crashes by Severity and Road Alignment, 2003 ........................................................................... 68

    Table 84 Crashes by Severity and Road Gradient, 2003.............................................................................. 68

    Table 85 Crashes by Severity and Road Surface, 2003................................................................................. 68

    Table 86 Crashes by Severity and Road Condition, 2003 ........................................................................... 69

    Table 87 Crashes by Severity and Road Lighting Conditions, 2003 .......................................................... 69

    Table 88 Crashes and Casualties by Month, 2003......................................................................................... 70

    Table 89 Metropolitan Area Crashes and Casualties by Month, 2003 ..................................................... 71

    Table 90 Rural and Remote Area Crashes and Casualties by Month, 2003............................................ 71

    Table 91 Fatally Injured and Hospitalised Casualties by Month of Crash, WA, 1998-2003................ 72

    Table 92 Crashes by Severity and Day of Week, 2003................................................................................ 73

    Table 93 Metropolitan Area Crashes by Severity and Day of Week, 2003 ............................................ 74

    Table 94 Rural Area Crashes by Severity and Day of Week, 2003........................................................... 74

    Table 95 Pedestrian Fatalities and Hospitalisations by Age Group and Time of Day, 2003................ 75

    Table 96 Vehicles Involved in Crashes by Crash Severity and Vehicle Body Type, 2003 .................... 76

    Table 97 Persons Admitted to Hospital, 1998-2002..................................................................................... 77

    Table 98 Persons Admitted to Hospital by Age Group and Gender, 2003 ............................................ 78

    Table 99 Persons Admitted to Hospital by Road User Group and Gender, 2003................................ 79

    Table 100 Persons Admitted to Hospital by Age Group and Road User Group, 2003 ......................... 79

    Table 101 Persons Admitted to Hospital by Gender and Indigenous Status, 2002................................. 80

    Table 102 Persons Admitted to Hospital by Age Group and Indigenous Status, 2003 .......................... 80

    Table 103 Persons Admitted to Hospital by Road User Group and Indigenous Status, 2003.............. 81

  • viii

    LIST OF FIGURES

    Figure 1 Road Traffic Crash Fatalities, Western Australia, 1961-2003 ......................................................2

    Figure 2 Road Traffic Crash Fatality Rates, Western Australia, 1961-2003..............................................3

    Figure 3 Hospitalised Road Traffic Casualties, Western Australia, 1980-2003 ........................................4

    Figure 4 Hospitalised Road Traffic Casualty Rates, Western Australia, 1980-2003................................5

    Figure 5 Total Reported Crash Rates, Western Australia, 1976-2003 ......................................................8

    Figure 6 Road Traffic Fatality Rates, Australian States and Territories, 1998-2003............................. 10

    Figure 7 Road Traffic Fatalities by Road User Group, Western Australia, 2003.................................. 18

    Figure 8 Hospitalised Road Traffic Casualties by Road User Group, Western Australia, 2003 ....... 19

    Figure 9 Child Road Traffic Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group, Western Australia, 2003 ...................................................................................................................................... 21

    Figure 10 Young Adult Road Traffic Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group, Western Australia, 2003..................................................................................................................... 24

    Figure 11 Mature Adult Road Traffic Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group, Western Australia, 2003..................................................................................................................... 28

    Figure 12 Senior Adult Road Traffic Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group, Western Australia, 2003..................................................................................................................... 32

    Figure 13 Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group and Gender, Western Australia, 2003 ...................................................................................................................................... 37

    Figure 14 Fatal Crashes by highest BAC of the Crash, Western Australia, 1998-2003 ........................ 43

    Figure 15 Monthly Fatal and Hospitalised Casualties, WA, 1998-2002 Five Year Average and 2003 ......................................................................................................................................................... 73

    Figure 16 Trend in Persons Admitted to Hospital, 1998-2003 ................................................................... 78

  • ix

    LIST OF APPENDICES

    Appendix i Western Australia Road Crash Trends 1961-2003 ........................................................... 84

    Appendix ii Western Australian Demographics, 1961-2003................................................................... 86

    Appendix iii Vehicles on Register in Western Australia by Type of Vehicle and Make, 2005 ......... 87

    Appendix iv Drivers Licensed by Age Group and Gender ....................................................................... 92

    Appendix v Crashes and Casualties by Police Traffic Region ................................................................. 93

    Appendix vi Contributing Factors to Crashes and Outcomes ................................................................ 94

    Appendix vii Human, Road Environment and Vehicle Factors Contributing to Crashes................... 95

    Appendix viii Examples of Costs Involved in Road Crashes....................................................................... 96

    Appendix ix Structure of the Road Safety Hierarchy in Western Australia......................................... 97

    Appendix x Road Safety-Related Legislation and Other Initiatives ........................................................ 98

    Appendix xi Glossary ....................................................................................................................................... 102

    Appendix xii International Comparison of Death Rates........................................................................... 106

    Appendix xiii Factors Contributing to Fatalities and Fatal Crashes, 1998-2003.................................. 107

  • x

    ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

    This report was funded by the Road Safety Council of Western Australia. The authors would also

    like to acknowledge the following people and organisations for their contributions and assistance:

    HEALTH DEPARTMENT OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

    Staff of the Data Linkage Unit

    Information Collection and Management Directorate

    MAIN ROADS WESTERN AUSTRALIA

    Shuk Jin Li

    Thandar Lim

    Asset and Network Information Branch

    DEPARTMENT OF THE PREMIER AND CABINET

    Claire Thompson

    Office of Road Safety

    DEPARTMENT FOR PLANNING AND INFRASTRUCTURE

    Zo Lester

    Andrew Stevenson

    Business Systems and Data Integrity Unit

    WESTERN AUSTRALIA POLICE SERVICE

    Bart Lethlean

  • xi

    INTERPRETATION OF THIS REPORT

    The statistics in this report should be read in conjunction with the glossary included in Appendix xi

    which covers all the terms used in this report.

    The tables and figures in this report that incorporate historic data are based on updated information

    extracted from relevant databases. This information may therefore differ from that presented in

    previous publications of this series.

  • xii

    KEY FACTS FOR 2003

    F A T A L I T I E S

    There were 179 fatalities in 2003, the same number as in 2002.

    There was a 10% decrease in the number of fatalities compared to the previous 5 year average.

    H O S P I T A L I S E D C A S U A L T I E S

    There were 2,874 hospitalised casualties in 2003, compared to 2,878 in 2002.

    This is a 16% increase in the number of hospitalised casualties compared to the previous 5 year

    average.

    T R E N D S I N C R A S H E S

    The total cost of crashes to the community was $1,787.9 million in 2003.

    Compared to five year averages there have been improvements in the number of fatalities for

    most age and gender groups with exceptions being males aged 12-16 years, females aged 17-24

    years and females aged 60+ years. For the number of people hospitalised, trends are less

    encouraging with improvements seen only among females aged 0-16 years.

    In 2003 the fatality rate (per 100,000 population) for Western Australia was 9.2 (ranked 6th out

    of 8 Australian states and territories) compared to 8.2 for Australia.

    R O A D U S E R S

    65% of those killed were male and 35% female.

    30% of those killed were aged 17-24 and 23% were aged 25-39.

    46% of those killed were drivers and 30% were passengers.

    49% of fatal crashes occurred in the metropolitan area, and 51% in the rural area. In addition 72%

    of hospitalisation crashes occurred in the metropolitan area and 28% in the rural area.

    C H I L D R O A D U S E R S

    11% of those killed were aged 0-16 years.

    The majority of child road users killed or hospitalised were passengers (56%).

    17% of this age group who were killed or hospitalised were unrestrained, compared to 7% of all

    fatally injured or hospitalised motor vehicle occupants.

  • xiii

    Y O U N G A D U L T R O A D U S E R S

    30% of those killed were aged 17-24.

    61% of this age group who were killed or injured were drivers and 24% passengers.

    30% of drivers or riders in this age group who were killed were involved in an alcohol related

    crash, compared to 20% of all fatally injured drivers or riders.

    Speed was a factor in 24% of fatalities and hospitalisations of young adult road users, compared

    to 17% of all fatalities and hospitalisations.

    M A T U R E A D U L T R O A D U S E R S

    42% of those killed were aged 25-59.

    61% of this age group who were killed or injured were drivers and 15% passengers.

    24% were killed in an alcohol related crash compared to 20% of all fatally injured riders or

    drivers. This was most evident among those aged 25-39 years.

    For some of this age group (i.e. those aged 25-29 years and 30-34 years), speed was a factor in

    22% and 20% (respectively) of fatal and hospitalised casualties compared with 17% for all fatally

    injured and hospitalised casualties.

    S E N I O R A D U L T R O A D U S E R S

    16% of those killed were aged 60 and above.

    65% of this age group who were killed or injured were drivers and 20% passengers.

    The proportion of casualties who were unrestrained (1%) was much lower than the matching

    proportion of all fatalities and hospitalised casualties (7%).

    In only 8% of fatally injured and hospitalised casualties was speed a factor, compared to 17% for

    all fatally injured and hospitalised casualties.

    None of the senior adult drivers or motorcycle riders had a BAC over 0.05%.

    A L C O H O L A N D D R U G S

    21% of fatal crashes involved alcohol over the legal limit of 0.05%.

    The distribution of BAC levels in fatal crashes was similar in the metropolitan and rural regions.

  • xiv

    S P E E D

    Speed was a factor in 37% of fatalities.

    Speed was a factor in 62% of motorcyclist fatalities.

    Speed was a factor in 38% of fatal crashes.

    Over half (60%) of speed related fatal crashes involved a single vehicle hitting an object.

    R E S T R A I N T U S E

    24% of fatally injured motor vehicle occupants were not wearing a restraint.

    27% of male versus 22% of female fatalities were unrestrained.

    The proportion of unrestrained fatalities in the metropolitan area was 11% compared to 33% in

    rural and remote areas.

    C R A S H T Y P E

    In total 0.4% of crashes involved a fatality, 6% involved a hospitalised casualty and 93% were of

    lesser severity.

    68% of fatal crashes were single vehicle crashes (and of these 57% were hit object and 19% non

    collision).

    32% of fatal crashes were multi-vehicle (of these 41% were right angle crashes).

    H O S P I T A L A D M I S S I O N D A T A

    Hospital admission data showed there were 3,255 people admitted to hospital due to traffic

    crashes. This is an increase of 7% on the five year average.

    7% of those admitted as a result of a traffic crash were Indigenous Australians.

    The number of people admitted to hospital as a result of a traffic crash were:

    28% Drivers

    15% Passengers

    16% Motorcyclists

    26% Bicyclists

    8% Pedestrians

  • 1

    1. INTRODUCTION

    This report is published annually and is produced and distributed on behalf of the Road Safety

    Council of Western Australia. The aim of the report is to provide road crash statistics for 2003 in

    Western Australia using police reported data. Some tables using hospital admission data have also

    been included for comparison purposes.

    Section 2 of the report refers to police reported data which are maintained by Main Roads Western

    Australia in the Integrated Road Information System (IRIS). The crash data quoted, in accordance

    with prior Australian Bureau of Statistics guidelines for reporting and classifying road crashes, meet

    the following three main criteria:

    the crash has been reported to the police;

    the crash occurred on a road open to and used by the public, whether the road is public or

    private; and

    the crash involved a vehicle which, at the time of the crash, was in motion.

    Sections 55(1) and 56(1) of the Road Traffic Act (1974) of Western Australia also require that a road

    crash be reported to police when:

    any person is killed or injured; or

    the crash results in property damage greater than $1,000.

    The figures cited in Section 2 relate to crashes that occurred between January 1st, 2003 and

    December 31st, 2003, as were recorded at May 19th, 2005 (the date of extraction), and should be

    considered provisional. Future publications reporting crash statistics may report figures that vary

    slightly from those in this report.

    Section 3 of this report refers to hospital admission data during 2003 for all hospitals (public and

    private) in Western Australia. This section summarises data concerning persons admitted to hospital

    as a result of a traffic crash and has been included to show a different perspective on road crash

    casualties in Western Australia. Many road crash casualties are not reported to police and the

    severity of injury to some casualties has been misreported in police data. Previous research has

    shown that under-reporting is greater for those less severely injured, for motorcycle crashes, for

    crashes involving Aboriginal people, and for bicycle crashes (Rosman & Knuiman, 1994).

  • 2

    2. POLICE REPORTED DATA

    This section summarises information contained in police reported crash data. Definitions of terms

    can be found in the glossary of this report.

    2.1 FATALITIES

    The number of road traffic crash fatalities in Western Australia from 1961 to 2003 is presented in

    Figure 1. There were 179 fatalities in 2003, the same number as in 2002. This is a 10% decrease in

    the number of fatalities compared to the 1998-2002 five year average (Table 1).

    Figure 1 Road Traffic Crash Fatalities, Western Australia, 1961-2003

    0

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    ities

    When examining fatality rates per 10,000 vehicles, per 100 million kilometres travelled, and per

    100,000 population, there is an overall decreasing trend (Figure 2). These rates take into account

    more vehicles on the road, more travel by Western Australians, and the growing population.

  • 3

    Figure 2 Road Traffic Crash Fatality Rates, Western Australia, 1961-2003

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  • 4

    2.2 HOSPITALISED CASUALTIES

    The number of hospitalised casualties in Western Australia from 1980 to 2003 is presented in

    Figure 3. There were 2,874 hospitalised casualties in 2003, compared to 2,878 in 2002. This is a 16%

    increase in the number of hospitalised casualties compared to the 1998-2002 five year average

    (Table 1).

    Figure 3 Hospitalised Road Traffic Casualties, Western Australia, 1980-2003

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    kilometres travelled, and per 100,000 population, there is an overall decreasing trend (Figure 4).

    Again, these rates take into account more vehicles on the road, more travel by Western Australians,

    and the growing population. In 2003 there were 2,874 hospitalised casualties; 19 hospitalisations per

    10,000 registered motor vehicles (Table 2), 15 per 100 million vehicle kilometres travelled (Table 3)

    and 147 per 100,000 population (Table 4).

  • 5

    Figure 4 Hospitalised Road Traffic Casualty Rates, Western Australia, 1980-2003

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  • 6

    2.3 TRENDS IN ROAD TRAFFIC CRASHES AND CASUALTIES

    The following section describes trends in road traffic crashes and casualties. Also presented is

    information related to the cost of crashes to the Western Australian community.

    Table 1 presents information on injury severity. Uninjured persons involved in the crash are not

    included in this table. Compared to the five year average, fatal crashes decreased by 12% in 2003 and

    fatal injuries decreased by 10%. Crashes involving hospitalisations however increased by 17% and

    injuries involving hospitalisation increased by 16%.

    Table 1 Road Traffic Crash Involvement by Injury Severity, Western Australia, 2002, 2003 and Five Year Average 1998-2002

    2003 2002 5YA 2003 Change from 5YA Crash and Injury Severity Crashes Injuries Crashes Injuries Crashes Injuries Crashes Injuries

    Fatalities 154 179 159 179 176 199 -12.5 -10.1 Hospitalisation 2,229 2,874 2,208 2,878 1,910 2,486 16.7 15.6 Medical Attention 5,356 7,223 5,739 7,653 6,838 9,256 -21.7 -22 Other1 28,273 62,344 28,263 62,573 29,207 65,657 -3.2 -5 Total 36,012 72,620 36,369 73,283 38,131 77,598 -5.6 -6.4 1. Other injuries refers to those involved in a crash who were either uninjured or injured but did not

    receive medical attention at the time the crash had been reported. Other crashes refers to those which only involved property damage.

    When examining fatality and hospitalised casualty rates per 10,000 registered motor vehicles (Table 2),

    there has been a 17% decrease in the rate of road users killed and a 7% increase in the number

    hospitalised when comparing 2003 with the previous five year average.

    Table 2 Road Traffic Fatality and Hospitalised Casualty Rates per 10,000 Registered Motor Vehicles, Western Australia, 1998-2003

    1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 5YRate 2003 2003 Change From 5YRate Injury Severity n n n n n n n %

    Fatal 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.2 -16.6 Hospitalised 21.8 18.3 15.2 13.4 19.2 17.5 18.8 7.2 Combined Rate 23.4 19.9 16.7 14.5 20.4 19.0 19.9 4.8

  • 7

    When examining fatality and hospitalised casualty rates per 100 million vehicle kilometres travelled

    (Table 3), there has been a 17% decrease in the rate of road users killed and a 9% increase in the

    number hospitalised when comparing 2003 with the previous five year average.

    Table 3 Road Traffic Fatality and Hospitalised Casualty Rates per 100 Million Vehicle Kilometres Travelled, Western Australia, 1998-2003

    1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 5YRate 2003 2003 Change From 5YRate Injury Severity n n n n n n n %

    Fatal 1.2 1.2 1.1 0.9 0.9 1.1 0.9 -17.3 Hospitalised 16.6 14.2 10.8 10.4 15.0 13.4 14.6 8.9 Combined Rate 17.8 15.5 11.8 11.3 15.9 14.5 15.5 6.9

    When examining fatality and hospitalised casualty rates per 100,000 population (Table 4), there has

    been a 14% decrease in the rate of road users killed and a 11% increase in the number hospitalised

    when comparing 2003 with the previous five year average.

    Table 4 Road Traffic Fatality and Hospitalised Casualty Rates per 100,000 Population, Western Australia, 1998-2003

    1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 5YRate 2003 2003 Change From 5YRate Injury Severity n n n n n n n %

    Fatal 12.2 11.8 11.3 8.7 9.3 10.7 9.2 -14.2 Hospitalised 162.3 136.3 114.0 101.3 149.0 132.6 147.4 11.2

    Combined Rate 174.5 148.1 125.3 110.0 158.3 143.2 156.6 9.3

    Table 5 shows the potential years of life lost for all causes of death in Western Australia. While road

    crashes only account for 1.6% of fatalities in Western Australia, 6,610 potential years of life were lost

    through road crashes. When potential years of life lost are viewed in terms of per death, then road

    crashes rank second only to conditions originating from birth, due to the over involvement of young

    people.

  • 8

    Table 5 Deaths and Potential Years of Life Lost for All Causes of Death, Western Australia, 2003

    Deaths Potential Years of Life Lost2 Cause of Death

    n % n PYLL/death3 All Cancers 3,291 30.1 22,586.0 12.8 Circulatory Diseases 3,629 33.2 9,477.1 10.9 Respiratory Diseases 942 8.6 2,294.6 9.7 Digestive Diseases 360 3.3 2,422.3 15.4 Conditions Originating Before Birth 36 0.3 2,578.1 71.6 Road Crashes 179 1.6 6,610.4 39.3 Other Injury & Poisoning 605 5.5 15,227.2 34.2 Other (medical) 1,879 17.2 13,776.3 21.0 Total 10,921 100.0 74,972.0 1. Obtained from Police Crash data. 2. Potential years of life lost up to the age of 74 years. 3. PYLL/death calculated for deaths up to 74 years. Source: Health Information Centre, Health Department of Western Australia. Overall, total reported crash rates have been generally decreasing in Western Australia since 1976

    (Figure 5).

    Figure 5 Total Reported Crash Rates, Western Australia, 1976-2003

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  • 9

    Table 6 shows the estimated cost of crashes to the Western Australian community. In 2003 the

    total cost of crashes to the community was $1,787.9 million, with the cost of crashes being $1,257.5

    million in the metropolitan area and $530.4 million in the rural area (see Appendix viii).

    Table 6 Estimated Cost of Crashes to the Western Australian Community: A Comparison Between 2002 and 2003

    2002 Cost Per Crash2 Total Cost2 2003

    Cost Per Crash3

    Total Cost3 Crash Severity

    n $ $ n $ $

    Metropolitan: Fatal 67 1,995,426 133.7M 76 2,108,292 160.2M

    Hospitalisation 1,517 492,509 747.1M 1,614 520,366 839.9M Medical Attention 4,873 16,630 81.0M 4,590 17,570 80.6M Other1 23,430 7,012 164.3M 23,869 7,408 176.8M

    Total 29,887 1,126.1M 30,149 1,257.5M

    Rural: Fatal 92 1,995,426 183.6M 78 2,108,292 164.4M

    Hospitalisation 691 492,509 340.3M 615 520,366 320.0M Medical Attention 866 16,630 14.4M 766 17,570 13.4M Other1 4,833 7,012 33.9M 4,404 7,408 32.6M

    Total 6,482 572.2M 5,863 530.4M

    Total Western Australia

    36,369 1,698.3M 36,012 1,787.9M

    Note: Cost data obtained from Bureau of Transport Economics (2000). Costs were adjusted for inflation using Average Weekly Earnings for (WA) May 2002 & 2003, as these costs are mostly associated with income. 1. Other includes Property Damage Only crashes. 2. Costs are in 2002 Australian dollars. 3. Costs are in 2003 Australian dollars.

  • 10

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    2.3.1 Western Australia Compared to Australia

    The following section compares Western Australian fatality figures with those of other states of

    Australia.

    Table 7 and Figure 6 show that in 2003, the Western Australian fatality rate of 9.2 per 100,000

    population was slightly higher than the Australian average of 8.2.

    Table 7 Road Traffic Fatalities and Fatality Rates, Australian States and Territories, 1998-2003

    1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 State

    n rate n rate n rate n rate n rate n rate WA 223 12.2 218 11.8 212 11.3 165 8.7 179 9.3 179 9.2 NSW 556 8.8 577 9.0 603 9.3 524 8.0 561 8.4 539 8.3 VIC 390 8.4 383 8.2 407 8.6 444 9.2 397 8.1 330 6.7 QLD 279 8.1 314 9.0 317 8.9 324 8.9 322 8.7 310 8.1 SA 168 11.3 151 10.1 166 11.0 153 10.1 154 10.1 157 10.3 TAS 48 10.2 53 11.2 43 9.1 61 12.9 37 7.8 41 8.6 NT 69 36.3 49 25.4 51 26.1 50 25.3 55 27.8 53 26.2 ACT 22 7.1 19 6.1 18 5.7 16 5.0 10 3.1 11 3.4 AUST 1,755 9.4 1,764 9.3 1,817 9.5 1,737 8.9 1,715 8.7 1,620 8.2 Note: Number of fatalities quoted from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau Road crash data and rates: Australian states and territories 1925 to 2002. Population data for each state and territory taken from ABS, Catalogue No. 3101.0, 2001 Census Edition - Final.

    Figure 6 Road Traffic Fatality Rates, Australian States and Territories, 1998-2003

  • 11

    2.4 ROAD USERS INVOLVED IN CRASHES

    This section presents information about road users involved in crashes in Western Australia.

    2.4.1 Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties Injured on Western Australian Roads in 2003

    Of the 179 people killed in 2003, 116 (65%) were male and 63 (35%) were female, 54 (30%) were

    aged 17-24 and 41 (23%) were aged 25-39 (Table 8). In 2003 the number of male fatalities decreased

    by 7% compared to 2002, while the number of female fatalities increased by 17%. However, there

    was no change in the total number of fatalities (n=179) in 2003 compared to 2002 (Table 8).

    Table 8 Road Traffic Fatalities by Age Group and Gender, Western Australia, 1994-2003

    Casualties 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

    n n n n n n n n n n Male

    0-11 4 7 7 6 4 5 9 3 3 3 12-16 9 5 9 12 11 6 3 6 7 7 17-24 54 44 55 39 40 48 49 43 30 40 25-39 39 44 55 42 46 51 40 32 42 29 40-59 19 26 32 26 35 22 20 23 30 24 60+ 25 21 29 14 24 25 23 14 13 13

    Unknown 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 0 0 Total 151 147 187 139 161 157 147 122 125 116

    Female

    0-11 2 7 6 3 5 5 6 0 3 8 12-16 7 2 4 3 7 4 1 4 2 2 17-24 14 18 9 12 10 10 14 12 9 14 25-39 13 10 11 13 11 16 10 11 14 12 40-59 11 13 10 12 11 11 20 10 13 11 60+ 13 12 20 14 17 13 11 6 11 16

    Unknown 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 2 0 Total 60 62 60 57 61 61 63 43 54 63

    All Casualties

    0-11 6 14 13 9 9 10 15 3 6 11 12-16 16 7 13 15 18 10 4 10 9 9 17-24 68 62 64 51 50 58 63 55 39 54 25-39 52 54 66 55 57 67 50 43 56 41 40-59 30 39 42 38 46 33 40 33 43 35 60+ 38 33 49 28 41 38 34 20 24 29

    Unknown 1 0 0 0 2 2 6 1 2 0 Total 211 209 247 196 223 218 212 165 179 179 Note: The 1998 total includes n=1 casualty of unknown age and gender, and the 2000 total includes n=2 casualties of unknown age and gender.

  • 12

    Table 9 and Table 10 compare age specific fatality rates of specific age groups to that of the total

    population, and also highlight where the proportion of fatalities for a given age group exceeds their

    proportion of the population. The highest age specific fatality rate was for the 17-24 year age group

    (24 per 100,000 population), however, this age group makes up only 11% of the Western Australian

    population (Table 10).

    Table 9 Road Traffic Fatalities by Age Group and Gender, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group Male Female Total Proportion of all fatalities Proportion of

    population Age specific fatality rate1

    n n n % % rate 0-5 1 3 4 2.2 7.7 2.7 6-11 2 5 7 3.9 8.4 4.3 12-16 7 2 9 5.0 7.3 6.3 17-20 27 8 35 19.6 5.8 30.9 21-24 13 6 19 10.6 5.6 17.5 25-29 11 4 15 8.4 6.8 11.3 30-34 12 3 15 8.4 7.6 10.1 35-39 6 5 11 6.1 7.5 7.5 40-44 5 1 6 3.4 7.9 3.9 45-49 10 1 11 6.1 7.3 7.7 50-54 4 4 8 4.5 6.8 6.0 55-59 5 5 10 5.6 5.7 9.0 60-64 4 1 5 2.8 4.2 6.0 65-69 1 1 2 1.1 3.4 3.0 70-74 4 7 11 6.1 2.9 19.7 75-79 2 2 4 2.2 2.3 8.8 80-84 1 3 4 2.2 1.6 13.1 85+ 1 2 3 1.7 1.2 12.3 Total 116 63 179 100.0 100.0 9.2

    1. Age specific fatality rates per 100,000 population.

    Table 10 Road Traffic Fatalities by Age Group Subtotals and Gender, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group Male Female Total Proportion of all fatalities Proportion of

    population Age specific fatality rate1

    n n n % % rate 0-11 3 8 11 6.1 16.1 3.5 12-16 7 2 9 5.0 7.3 6.3 17-24 40 14 54 30.2 11.4 24.4 25-39 29 12 41 22.9 21.9 9.6 40-59 24 11 35 19.6 27.7 6.5 60+ 13 16 29 16.2 15.7 9.5 Total 116 63 179 100.0 100.0 9.2

    1. Age specific fatality rates per 100,000 population.

  • 13

    Table 11 and Table 12 show the number of fatalities in 2003 compared to the 1998-2002 five year

    average for males and females. The greatest number of fatalities in 2003 occurred in the male 17-24

    year age group (n=40, 22% of all fatalities) however this was 5% lower than the previous five year

    average. Apart from the age groups where the numbers were small (e.g. n

  • 14

    Table 12 Road Traffic Fatalities by Age Group Subtotals and Gender, Western Australia, 2003 Compared to Five Year Average

    Male Female Age group

    2003 5YA % change 2003 5YA % change n n % n n % 0-11 3 4.8 -37.5 8 3.8 110.5 12-16 7 6.6 6.1 2 3.6 -44.4 17-24 40 42.0 -4.8 14 11.0 27.3 25-39 29 42.2 -31.3 12 12.4 -3.2 40-59 24 26.0 -7.7 11 13.0 -15.4 60+ 13 19.8 -34.3 16 11.6 37.9 Unknown 0 1.0 -100.0 0 1.0 -100.0 Total 116 142.4 -18.5 63 56.4 11.7

    Of the 2,874 people hospitalised in 2003, gender was known for 2,850. Of these 1,621 (57%) were

    male and 1,229 (43%) were female. In total 799 were aged 17-24 and 754 were aged 25-39 (Table

    13). In 2003 the number of male hospitalised casualties decreased by 3% compared to 2002, while

    the number of female hospitalisations increased by 4%. However, the total number of hospitalised

    casualties did not change significantly in 2003 (n=2,874) compared to 2002 (n=2,878) (Table 13).

  • 15

    Table 13 Hospitalised Road Traffic Casualties by Age Group and Gender, Western Australia, 1994-2003

    Casualties 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 n n n n n n n n n n Male 0-11 75 90 75 104 97 84 57 45 66 70 12-16 103 98 94 109 88 81 68 58 77 78 17-24 561 572 478 540 512 426 349 329 471 436 25-39 421 450 421 471 474 432 391 338 510 478 40-59 223 249 225 232 248 252 199 184 290 289 60+ 131 135 118 145 141 118 105 91 149 173 Unknown 94 136 125 113 107 98 58 71 104 97 Total 1,608 1,730 1,536 1,714 1,667 1,491 1,227 1,116 1,667 1,621 Female 0-11 59 54 62 54 63 44 41 44 35 39 12-16 68 85 57 49 82 54 45 44 49 52 17-24 298 337 269 305 331 282 236 237 331 362 25-39 234 250 233 299 305 244 238 194 280 275 40-59 181 229 205 228 256 193 180 140 262 258 60+ 123 122 127 139 159 122 106 90 126 151 Unknown 88 95 103 97 85 90 56 55 98 92 Total 1,051 1,172 1,056 1,171 1,281 1,029 902 804 1,181 1,229 All Hospitalised 1 0-11 138 144 137 162 160 128 98 92 101 109 12-16 172 183 151 160 170 135 114 102 126 130 17-24 859 912 747 845 845 709 587 566 804 799 25-39 656 700 654 772 779 676 629 533 791 754 40-59 405 478 430 460 505 445 379 326 555 548 60+ 254 258 245 284 300 240 213 181 276 327 Unknown 183 232 230 215 199 189 117 133 225 207 Total 2,667 2,907 2,594 2,898 2,958 2,522 2,137 1,933 2,878 2,874

    1. The all hospitalised casualty figures include a total of n=115 hospitalised casualties where gender was unknown, n=8 (1994), n=5 (1995), n=2 (1996), n=13 (1997), n=10 (1998), n=2 (1999), n=8 (2000), n=13 (2001), n=30 (2002), n=24 (2003).

  • 16

    Table 14 and Table 15 compare age specific hospitalisation rates of specific age groups to that of the

    total population, and also highlight where the proportion of hospitalised casualties for a given age

    group exceeds their proportion of the population. As for fatalities, the highest age specific hospital

    rate was for the 17-24 year age group (361 per 100,000 population) (Table 15).

    Table 14 Hospitalised Road Traffic Casualties by Age Group and Gender, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group Male Female Total1 Proportion of all hospitalised Proportion of

    Population Age specific

    hospital rate2 n n n % % rate

    0-5 25 10 35 1.2 7.7 23.3 6-11 45 29 74 2.6 8.4 45.3 12-16 78 52 130 4.5 7.3 91.7 17-20 251 212 463 16.1 5.8 409.1 21-24 185 150 336 11.7 5.6 310.0 25-29 185 109 295 10.3 6.8 222.6 30-34 151 100 251 8.7 7.6 169.3 35-39 142 66 208 7.2 7.5 142.6 40-44 105 78 183 6.4 7.9 118.9 45-49 88 68 157 5.5 7.3 109.9 50-54 60 64 124 4.3 6.8 93.4 55-59 36 48 84 2.9 5.7 75.4 60-64 49 32 81 2.8 4.2 97.9 65-69 39 35 75 2.6 3.4 112.3 70-74 25 32 58 2.0 2.9 103.9 75-79 29 27 57 2.0 2.3 125.5 80-84 16 21 37 1.3 1.6 121.5 85+ 15 4 19 0.7 1.2 78.0 Unknown 97 92 207 7.2 0.0 na Total 1,621 1,229 2,874 100.0 100.0 147.4

    1. Total includes n=24 hospitalised casualties where gender was unknown. 2. Age specific hospitalisation rates per 100,000 population.

    Table 15 Hospitalised Road Traffic Casualties by Age Group Subtotals and Gender, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group Male Female Total1 Proportion of all hospitalised Proportion of

    Population Age specific

    hospital rate2 n n n % % rate 0-11 70 39 109 3.8 16.1 34.8 12-16 78 52 130 4.5 7.3 91.7 17-24 436 362 799 27.8 11.4 360.6 25-39 478 275 754 26.2 21.9 176.7 40-59 289 258 548 19.1 27.7 101.3 60+ 173 151 327 11.4 15.7 107.0 Unknown 97 92 207 7.2 0.0 0.0 Total 1,621 1,229 2,874 100.0 100.0 147.4

    1. Total includes n=24 hospitalised casualties where gender was unknown. 2. Age specific hospitalisation rates per 100,000 population.

  • 17

    Table 16 and Table 17 show the number of hospitalisations in 2003 compared to the 1998-2002 five

    year average for males and females. The greatest number of hospitalisations in 2003 occurred in the

    male 25-39 year age group (n=478, 17% of all hospitalisations) and this was 11% higher than the

    previous five year average. The greatest increase in the number of hospitalisations was in the male

    60+ age group, which increased by 43% compared to the average for the previous five years

    (Table 17).

    Table 16 Hospitalised Road Traffic Casualties by Age and Gender, Western Australia, 2003 Compared to Five Year average

    Male Female Age group

    2003 5YA % change 2003 5YA % change n n % n n %

    0-5 25 27.8 -10.1 10 19.6 -49.0 6-11 45 42.0 7.1 29 25.8 12.4 12-16 78 74.4 4.8 52 54.8 -5.1 17-20 251 233.0 7.7 212 173.0 22.5 21-24 185 184.4 0.3 150 110.4 35.9 25-29 185 177.8 4.0 109 105.4 3.4 30-34 151 137.6 9.7 100 74.6 34.0 35-39 142 113.6 25.0 66 72.2 -8.6 40-44 105 82.8 26.8 78 65.8 18.5 45-49 88 61.6 42.9 68 56.8 19.7 50-54 60 50.8 18.1 64 51.4 24.5 55-59 36 39.4 -8.6 48 32.2 49.1 60-64 49 30.6 60.1 32 32.0 0.0 65-69 39 24.0 62.5 35 23.8 47.1 70-74 25 22.4 11.6 32 20.8 53.8 75-79 29 21.8 33.0 27 21.6 25.0 80-84 16 12.4 29.0 21 15.4 36.4 85+ 15 9.6 56.3 4 7.0 -42.9 Unknown 97 87.6 10.7 92 76.8 19.8 Total 1,621 1,433.6 13.1 1,229 1,039.4 18.2

    Note: Excludes n=24 hospitalised casualties in 2003 where gender was unknown.

  • 18

    Table 17 Hospitalised Road Traffic Casualties by Age Group Subtotals and Gender, Western Australia, 2003 Compared to Five Year average

    Males Female Age group

    2003 5YA % change 2003 5YA % change 0-11 70 69.8 0.3 39 45.4 -14.1 12-16 78 74.4 4.8 52 54.8 -5.1 17-24 436 417.4 4.5 362 283.4 27.7 25-39 478 429.0 11.4 275 252.2 9.0 40-59 289 234.6 23.2 258 206.2 25.1 60+ 173 120.8 43.2 151 120.6 25.2 Unknown 97 87.6 10.7 92 76.8 19.8 Total 1,621 1,433.6 13.1 1,229 1,039.4 18.2

    Note: Excludes n=24 hospitalised casualties in 2003 where gender was unknown.

    Figure 7 shows road traffic fatalities by road user group. Drivers represented 46% of those killed.

    Figure 7 Road Traffic Fatalities by Road User Group, Western Australia, 2003

    Pedestrian 10% (n=18)

    Driver 46% (n=84)

    Passenger 30% (n=53)

    Motorcyclist 13% (n=23)

    Bicyclist 1% (n=1)

  • 19

    Figure 8 shows hospitalised road traffic casualties by road user group. Drivers represented 54% of

    those hospitalised.

    Figure 8 Hospitalised Road Traffic Casualties by Road User Group, Western Australia, 2003

    Motorcyclist 10% (n=294)

    Passenger 24% (n=686)

    Driver 54% (n=1,548)

    Bicyclist 4% (n=121)

    Pedestrian 7% (n=208)

    Other 1% (n=17)

    Table 18 shows the number of road users killed and hospitalised since 1998. There was a 24%

    increase in the number of driver casualties in 2003 when compared to the previous five year average

    and a slight decrease in the number of passengers killed or hospitalised (-1%). The number of

    bicyclists killed or hospitalised increased by 20%, and the number of motorcyclist fatalities and

    hospitalised casualties increased by 14%.

    Table 18 Road Traffic Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group, Western Australia, 1998-2003

    1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 5YA 2003 2003 Change From 5YA Road User Group n n n n n n n %

    Driver 1,483 1,316 1,135 1,024 1,618 1,315 1,632 24.1 Passenger 942 812 654 552 770 746 739 -0.9 Motorcyclist 299 273 252 247 318 278 317 14.0 Bicyclist 145 85 72 82 127 102 122 19.6 Pedestrian 288 228 207 165 213 220 226 2.7 Other 24 26 29 28 11 24 17 -26.1 Total 3,181 2,740 2,349 2,098 3,057 2,685 3,053 13.7

  • 20

    Table 19 presents the number of road users killed and hospitalised for each region. There appeared to be a higher proportion of passengers injured in the

    rural area (32%) compared to the metropolitan area (21%). Also, a greater proportion of pedestrians injured were in the metropolitan area (9%) compared

    to the rural area (5%), except in the Kimberley region where the proportion of pedestrians injured was 16%.

    Table 19 Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group and Region, 2003

    Driver Passenger Motorcyclist Bicyclist Pedestrian Other Total

    Region n % n % n % n % n % n % n %

    North Metropolitan 349 49.3 159 22.5 88 12.4 40 5.6 64 9.0 8 1.1 708 100.0 South Metropolitan 346 58.0 112 18.8 68 11.4 22 3.7 46 7.7 3 0.5 597 100.0 East Metropolitan 435 54.0 163 20.2 94 11.7 39 4.8 72 8.9 2 0.2 805 100.0 Metropolitan Total 1,130 53.6 434 20.6 250 11.8 101 4.8 182 8.6 13 0.6 2,110 100.0 Peel 41 52.6 22 28.2 9 11.5 1 1.3 4 5.1 1 1.3 78 100.0 Goldfields-S.E. Coastal 42 51.2 30 36.6 8 9.8 1 1.2 1 1.2 0 0.0 82 100.0 Great Southern 52 62.7 24 28.9 2 2.4 0 0.0 4 4.8 1 1.2 83 100.0 Kimberley 30 41.1 23 31.5 4 5.5 4 5.5 12 16.4 0 0.0 73 100.0 Midwest-Murchison 41 48.8 26 31.0 9 10.7 2 2.4 6 7.1 0 0.0 84 100.0 Pilbara-Gascoyne 35 41.7 34 40.5 11 13.1 1 1.2 3 3.6 0 0.0 84 100.0 South West 122 51.7 74 31.4 14 5.9 11 4.7 13 5.5 2 0.8 236 100.0 Wheatbelt 139 62.3 72 32.3 10 4.5 1 0.4 1 0.4 0 0.0 223 100.0 Rural Total 502 53.2 305 32.3 67 7.1 21 2.2 44 4.7 4 0.4 943 100.0 Western Australia 1,632 53.5 739 24.2 317 10.4 122 4.0 226 7.4 17 0.6 3,053 100.0

  • 21

    2.4.2 Road Traffic Casualties by Broad Age Groups

    This section describes crash statistics for the broad age groups of child road users, young adult

    road users, mature adult road users and senior adult road users.

    C H I L D R O A D U S E R S

    In this report child road users are defined as those aged up to and including 16 years.

    In 2003, 20 child road users were killed and 239 hospitalised as a result of a road traffic crash. This

    age group makes up 23% of the Western Australian population (Table 15), but comprised 11% of all

    fatalities (Table 10) and 8% of hospitalised casualties (Table 15).

    Figure 9 and Table 20 show the breakdown of fatalities and hospitalised casualties of children up to

    16 years of age by road user group. The majority of children killed or hospitalised were as

    passengers (56%). Table 20 also shows that 52 child pedestrians were killed or hospitalised in 2003.

    Of these 38 (73%) occurred in the metropolitan area and 14 (27%) in the rural area (see Table 49).

    Figure 9 Child Road Traffic Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group, Western Australia, 2003

    17-24 yrs 28%

    25-59 yrs 45%

    60+ yrs 12%

    Pedestrian 20%

    Bicyclist 14%

    Motorcyclist 4%

    Passenger 56%

    Driver 6%

    0-16 yrs 9%

    Unknown 6%

  • 22

    Table 20 Child Road Traffic Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group and Age Group, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group Drivers Passenger Motorcyclist Bicyclist Pedestrian Other Total 0 5 0 25 2 1 10 1 39 6 11 0 40 1 14 26 0 81 12 16 17 79 6 21 16 0 139 Total 17 144 9 36 52 1 259

    Table 21 presents information about restraint use. Nineteen percent of motor vehicle occupants

    aged 12-16 years who were killed or hospitalised were unrestrained. Overall, unrestrained child

    motor vehicle occupants were over represented (17%) compared to all fatally injured and

    hospitalised motor vehicle occupants (7%) (Table 21).

    Table 21 Restraint Use of Child Motor Vehicle Occupant Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group, Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group Seatbelt not worn Vehicle occupant casualties

    Percentage of unrestrained casualties

    0 5 3 23 13.0% 6 11 6 37 16.2% 12 16 16 85 18.8% Total 25 145 17.2% All fatalities and hospitalised casualties

    147 1,964 7.5%

    Note: Casualties are restricted to occupants of sedans, hatchbacks, station wagons, utilities, panel vans, four-wheel-drives and multi-seat vans involved in police attended crashes.

    Of the 20 child fatalities, only one was involved in a crash where the highest blood alcohol

    concentration of the crash was over 0.05% (Table 22).

    Table 22 Child Fatalities by Highest Blood Alcohol Concentration of the Crash, Fatal Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group < 0.05% 0.05%-0.079% 0.08%-0.149% 0.15%

    Sub-Total ( 0.05%) Unknown Total

    0 5 3 0 0 0 0 1 4 6 11 5 0 0 1 1 1 7 12 16 7 0 0 0 0 2 9 Total 15 0 0 1 1 4 20

  • 23

    Table 23 presents information about speed involvement. Speed was a factor in 27% of fatally injured

    and hospitalised 12-16 year old casualties. However, for all child fatalities and hospitalised casualties,

    the proportion of casualties where speed was a factor (19%) was only slightly higher than the

    matching proportion of all fatalities and hospitalised casualties in 2003 (17%).

    Table 23 Speed as a Factor for Child Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group, Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group Casualties where

    speed a factor Vehicle occupant

    casualties Percentage of casualties

    where speed was a factor

    0 5 4 36 11.1% 6 11 6 70 8.6% 12 16 33 123 26.8% Total 43 229 18.8% All fatalities and hospitalised casualties 440 2,567 17.1%

    Table 24 presents information about crashes for this age group by time of day. The majority (34%)

    of fatalities and hospitalisations involving children were between 3.00pm and 5.59pm.

    Table 24 Child Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group and Time of Day of Crash, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group

    Midnight 2.59am

    3.00am 5.59am

    6.00am 8.59am

    9.00am 11.59am

    Midday 2.59pm

    3.00pm 5.59pm

    6.00pm 8.59pm

    9.00pm 11.59pm

    Total

    0 5 0 2 6 6 8 12 4 1 39 6 11 0 1 11 7 16 36 7 2 81 12 16 10 10 14 8 15 39 17 26 139 Total 10 13 31 21 39 87 28 29 259

    Note: Total includes n=1 hospitalised casualty in 2003 where time of day of crash was unknown.

    Most of the fatally injured and hospitalised children in Western Australia were involved in crashes on

    a weekday (70%), between 3.00pm and 5.59pm (34%), in crashes that did not occur at an intersection

    (65%), where there was no specific road feature at the site of the crash (61%) or no traffic sign or

    control (76%). Approximately 15% of these casualties were killed or injured in wet conditions, and

    almost all of these crashes occurred on sealed roads (93%).

    Just under 14% of fatally injured and hospitalised children were riding a bicycle at the time of the

    crash.

  • 24

    Y O U N G A D U L T R O A D U S E R S

    In this report young adult road users are defined as those aged 17-24.

    In 2003, 54 young adults were killed and 799 hospitalised as a result of a road traffic crash. This age

    group makes up 11% of the Western Australian population (Table 15), but comprised 30% of all

    fatalities (Table 10) and 28% of hospitalised casualties (Table 15).

    Figure 10 and Table 25 show the breakdown by road user group. By far, the majority of young adults

    killed or injured were as drivers (60%) and passengers (24%).

    Figure 10 Young Adult Road Traffic Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group, Western Australia, 2003

    Driver 61%

    17-24 yrs 28%

    Unknown 6%60+ yrs 12%

    25-59 yrs 45%

    0-16 yrs 9%

    Passenger 24%

    Motorcyclist 8%Bicyclist 2%Pedestrian 6%

    Driver 60%

  • 25

    Table 25 Young Adult Road Traffic Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group and Age Group, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group Drivers Passenger Motorcyclist Bicyclist Pedestrian Other Total 17 20 287 148 21 11 27 4 498 21 24 226 56 43 7 20 3 355 Total 513 204 64 18 47 7 853

    About 6% of young adult motor vehicle occupants killed or hospitalised were unrestrained (Table

    26). However, this proportion of casualties who were unrestrained was not significantly different to

    the matching proportion of all fatalities and hospitalised casualties in 2003 (7%).

    Table 26 Restraint Use of Young Adult Motor Vehicle Occupant Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group, Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group Seatbelt not worn Vehicle occupant

    casualties Percentage of

    unrestrained casualties 17 20 26 367 7.1% 21 24 13 231 5.6% Total 39 598 6.5% All fatalities and hospitalised casualties 147 1,964 7.5%

    Note: Casualties are restricted to occupants of sedans, hatchbacks, station wagons, utilities, panel vans, four-wheel-drives and multi-seat vans involved in police attended crashes.

    Fifteen of the 68 young adult driver and motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes (22%) had a blood

    alcohol concentration greater than 0.05% (Table 27). This proportion was higher than the matching

    value for all drivers and riders with a blood alcohol concentration over 0.05% involved in fatal

    crashes (14%).

    Table 27 Blood Alcohol Concentration of Young Adult Drivers and Motorcycle Riders Involved in Fatal, Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group < 0.05% 0.05%-0.079% 0.08%-0.149% 0.15%

    Sub-Total ( 0.05%) Unknown Total

    17 20 24 0 2 5 7 9 40 21 24 17 0 4 4 8 3 28 Total 41 0 6 9 15 12 68

    Of the 54 fatalities in this age group, 30% (n=16) were killed as a result of an alcohol related crash

    (highest BAC 0.05%) (Table 28). This proportion of fatalities was higher than the matching

    proportion for all fatalities in 2003 (20%) (Table 54).

  • 26

    Table 28 Young Adult Fatalities by Highest Blood Alcohol Concentration of the Crash, Fatal Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group < 0.05% 0.05%-0.079% 0.08%-0.149% 0.15%

    Sub-Total ( 0.05%) Unknown Total

    17 20 21 0 4 4 8 6 35 21 24 10 0 4 4 8 1 19 Total 31 0 8 8 16 7 54

    Table 29 shows that speed was a factor in 24% of fatalities and hospitalisations of young adults; this

    proportion of casualties was higher than the matching proportion of all fatalities and hospitalised

    casualties in 2003 (17%).

    Table 29 Speed as a Factor for Young Adult Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group, Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group Casualties where speed a factor Vehicle occupant

    casualties

    Percentage of casualties where speed was a

    factor 17 20 102 423 24.1% 21 24 73 296 24.7% Total 175 719 24.3% All fatalities and hospitalised casualties 440 2,567 17.1%

    Table 30 shows that a high proportion of young adults are killed or hospitalised during the night

    (48%), although the highest proportion of fatalities and hospitalisations occurred between 3.00pm

    and 5.59pm (n=156).

  • 27

    Table 30 Young Adult Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group and Time of Day of Crash, Western Australia, 2003

    Age

    Group Midnight 2.59am

    3.00am 5.59am

    6.00am 8.59am

    9.00am 11.59am

    Midday 2.59pm

    3.00pm 5.59pm

    6.00pm 8.59pm

    9.00pm 11.59pm Total

    17 20 52 41 50 44 54 92 73 83 498 21 24 38 27 33 40 49 64 49 47 355 Total 90 68 83 84 103 156 122 130 853

    Note: Total includes n=17 hospitalised casualties in 2003 where time of day of crash was unknown.

    Table 31 shows that the majority of young adults are killed or hospitalised on a Saturday.

    Table 31 Young Adult Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group and Day of Week of Crash, Western Australia, 2003

    Age

    Group Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Total

    17 20 64 47 68 60 85 96 78 498 21 24 40 42 49 50 59 65 50 355 Total 104 89 117 110 144 161 128 853

    Most of the fatally injured and hospitalised young adults in Western Australia were involved in

    crashes on a weekday (66%), after dark (48%), in crashes that did not occur at an intersection (59%),

    where there was no specific road feature at the site of the crash (54%) or no traffic sign or control

    (72%). Approximately 20% of these casualties were killed or injured in wet conditions, and almost all

    of these crashes occurred on sealed roads (95%).

    Most of the fatally injured and hospitalised young adults were an occupant of a car or four wheel

    drive at the time of the crash (83%).

    M A T U R E A D U L T R O A D U S E R S

    In this report mature adult road users are those aged 25-59.

    In 2003, 76 mature adults were killed and 1,302 hospitalised as a result of a road traffic crash. This

    age group makes up 50% of the Western Australian population (Table 15), but comprised 42% of all

    fatalities (Table 10) and 45% of hospitalised casualties (Table 15).

  • 28

    Figure 11 and Table 32 shows the breakdown by road user group. The majority (61%) of mature

    adult road users killed or injured were as drivers.

    Figure 11 Mature Adult Road Traffic Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group, Western Australia, 2003

    Unknown 6%

    60+ yrs 12%

    17-24 yrs 27%

    0-16 yrs 9%

    25-59 yrs 45%

    Pedestrian 4%Bicyclist 4%Motorcyclist 16%Passenger 15%

    Driver 61%

    Table 32 Mature Adult Road Traffic Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Road User Group and Age Group, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group Drivers Passenger Motorcyclist Bicyclist Pedestrian Other Total 25 29 162 72 60 7 7 2 310 30 34 151 36 53 8 18 0 266 35 39 132 28 39 8 12 0 219 40 44 123 23 21 12 8 2 189 45 49 112 15 27 6 8 0 168 50 54 94 17 10 6 5 0 132 55 59 64 11 13 3 3 0 94 Total 838 202 223 50 61 4 1,378

    The proportion of unrestrained mature adult motor vehicle occupants who were killed or

    hospitalised as a result of a crash (7%), did not differ from the matching proportion of all fatally

    injured and hospitalised motor vehicle occupants (7%) (Table 33).

  • 29

    Table 33 Restraint Use of Mature Adult Motor Vehicle Occupant Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group, Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group Seatbelt not worn Vehicle occupant

    casualties Percentage of

    unrestrained casualties 25 29 20 191 10.5% 30 34 12 147 8.2% 35 39 15 124 12.1% 40 44 4 120 3.3% 45 49 6 106 5.7% 50 54 5 97 5.2% 55 59 1 64 1.6% Total 63 849 7.4% All fatalities and hospitalised casualties 147 1,964 7.5%

    Note: Casualties are restricted to occupants of sedans, hatchbacks, station wagons, utilities, panel vans, four-wheel-drives and multi-seat vans involved in police attended crashes.

    Fifteen percent of mature adult driver and motorcycle riders involved in fatal crashes had a blood

    alcohol concentration greater than 0.05% (Table 34). This proportion was similar to the matching

    value for all drivers and riders with a blood alcohol concentration over 0.05% involved in fatal

    crashes (14%).

    Table 34 Blood Alcohol Concentration of Mature Adult Drivers and Motorcycle Riders Involved in Fatal, Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group < 0.05% 0.05%-0.079% 0.08%-0.149% 0.15%

    Sub-Total ( 0.05%) Unknown Total

    25 29 11 0 1 3 4 5 20 30 34 10 1 3 1 5 2 17 35 39 11 1 1 1 3 2 16 40 44 11 0 1 0 1 4 16 45 49 13 0 0 3 3 4 20 50 54 11 0 0 1 1 4 16 55 59 8 0 0 0 0 2 10 Total 75 2 6 9 17 23 115

    Almost one quarter (24%) of mature adult fatalities were killed as a result of an alcohol related crash

    (highest BAC 0.05%) (Table 35). This proportion of fatalities was higher than the matching

    proportion for all fatalities in 2003 (20%) (Table 54).

  • 30

    Table 35 Mature Adult Fatalities by Highest Blood Alcohol Concentration of the Crash, Fatal Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group < 0.05% 0.05%-0.079% 0.08%-0.149% 0.15%

    Sub-Total ( 0.05%) Unknown Total

    25 29 9 1 1 3 5 1 15 30 34 10 0 3 1 4 1 15 35 39 5 0 1 1 2 4 11 40 44 3 1 2 0 3 0 6 45 49 6 0 0 3 3 2 11 50 54 6 0 0 1 1 1 8 55 59 9 0 0 0 0 1 10 Total 48 2 7 9 18 10 76

    Table 36 shows that speed was a factor in 15% of fatalities and hospitalisations of mature adults; this

    proportion of casualties was similar to the matching proportion of all fatalities and hospitalised

    casualties in 2003 (17%).

    Table 36 Speed as a Factor for Mature Adult Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group, Police Attended Crashes, Western Australia, 2003

    Age Group Casualties where speed a factor Vehicle occupant

    casualties

    Percentage of casualties where speed was a

    factor 25 29 57 261 21.8% 30 34 45 219 20.5% 35 39 25 177 14.1% 40 44 22 161 13.7% 45 49 14 144 9.7% 50 54 9 119 7.6% 55 59 4 78 5.1% Total 176 1,159 15.2% All fatalities and hospitalised casualties 440 2,567 17.1%

    For those aged 25-39, the majority of crashes occurred between 3.00pm and 5.59pm (Table 37) and

    the majority of fatalities and hospitalisations occurred on a Friday (Table 38). For those aged 40-59,

    the majority of crashes also occurred between 3.00pm and 5.59pm (Table 37) and the majority of

    fatalities and hospitalisations occurred on a Tuesday or Friday, although the differences are not large

    (Table 38). Overall the highest proportion of fatalities and hospitalisations in the 25-59 year age

    group occurred between 3.00pm and 5.59pm (n=308).

  • 31

    Table 37 Mature Adult Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group and Time of Day of Crash, Western Australia, 2003

    Age

    Group Midnight 2.59am

    3.00am 5.59am

    6.00am 8.59am

    9.00am 11.59am

    Midday 2.59pm

    3.00pm 5.59pm

    6.00pm 8.59pm

    9.00pm 11.59pm

    Total

    25 29 26 18 40 34 38 60 51 35 310 30 34 13 12 35 48 34 62 35 26 266 35 39 14 6 22 25 39 49 39 21 219 40 44 7 5 30 29 25 48 32 12 189 45 49 12 5 18 19 32 34 28 18 168 50 54 3 5 18 24 25 32 13 9 132 55 59 0 1 17 15 15 23 13 8 94 Total 75 52 180 194 208 308 211 129 1,378

    Note: Total includes n=21 fatally injured and hospitalised casualties where time of day of crash was unknown.

    Table 38 Mature Adult Fatalities and Hospitalised Casualties by Age Group and Day of Week of Crash, Western Australia, 2003

    Age

    Group Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Total

    25 29 42 24 34 50 60 46 54 310 30 34 38 36 41 45 36 36 34 266 35 39 20 34 30 33 47 31 24 219 40 44 31 28 25 32 33 22 18 189 45 49 16 34 25 27 29 23 14 168 50 54 18 21 23 15 24 11 20 132 55 59 10 16 19 12 14 14 9 94 Total 175 193 197 214 243 183 173 1,378

    Most of the fatally injured and hospitalised mature adults in Western Australia were involved in

    crashes on a weekday (74%), between 3.00pm and 5.59pm (22%), in crashes that did not occur at an

    intersection (56%), where there was no specific road feature at the site of the crash (49%) or no

    traffic sign or control (68%). Approximately 16% of these casualties were killed or injured in wet

    conditions, and almost all of these crashes occurred on sealed roads (94%).

    Most of the fatally injured and hospitalised mature adults were an occupant of a car or four wheel

    drive at the time of the crash (73%).

  • 32

    S E N I O R A D U L T R O A D U S E R S

    In this report senior adult road users are those aged 60 and above.

    In 20