Police announce final 2012 road toll

13 Feb 2013

Tuesday, 05 February 2013

Victoria lost 282 lives on the state’s roads in 2012, recording five less than 2011.

The final 2012 road toll, the fifth consecutive record low, marks the seventh year in a row where the road toll has continued to drop.

Despite the positive trend, Assistant Commissioner for Road Policing Robert Hill said there were five lives lost last weekend and it was a real reminder that Victorians couldn’t take their minds off road safety for a second.

“While a fifth consecutive record low road toll is something the community should be congratulated for, we can never rest on our laurels and need to strive for no deaths on Victorian roads,” AC Hill said.  

“Our focus is often on younger drivers, and rightly so - almost 21 per cent of people killed on our roads last year were aged between 18 and 24.

“Young drivers are more likely to be involved in road trauma because they lack experience, they underestimate risks, they engage in risk-taking behaviour and are more likely to use alcohol and drugs.

“We’ll continue to work with our partners at the TAC, the Department of Justice and VicRoads to continue to educate young drivers, but it is important that parents, family and peers also take responsibility for the safety of young drivers - this is a whole of community effort.

“What’s also concerning is the increase in the number of older drivers killed on our roads.

“Forty-one per cent of people killed on Victorian roads last year were 50 or older and with an ageing population, we can expect this number to increase in the coming years.

“Most older people are perfectly capable of driving safely and are some of our best drivers, however physical and mental changes that accompany ageing can impact the capabilities of older drivers.

“It is important that family and friends talk with older drivers if they have safety concerns about their driving or road behaviour.

“They are not easy conversations to have, but they are important ones not only for the safety of the family member but for all road users.”

The final road toll results show that in 2012 (data compared with 2011):

• There were 282 fatalities resulting from 261 fatal collisions
• There were 127 deaths in metropolitan Melbourne
• There were 155 deaths in country Victoria, down from 158 in 2011
• While males accounted for the majority of people killed (198 – 70 per cent), the number of females killed (84 – 30 per cent) went up by 12 per cent
• Young people continue to be overrepresented in road trauma with 59 (21 per cent) aged between 18 and 24
• There is a growing trend in the number of older drivers losing their lives on Victorian roads – 37 (13 per cent) aged 50 to 59 (an increase of 19 per cent), 31 (11 per cent) aged 60 to 69 (an increase of seven per cent) and 21 (seven per cent) aged 70 – 79 (an increase of 23.5 per cent)
• Drivers accounted for 146 (52 per cent) fatalities, an increase of 20 per cent 
• There were 35 pedestrian deaths, down from 49 in 2011 (29 per cent decrease)
• People older than 70 accounted for 10 pedestrian fatalities (29 per cent)
• Thirty-eight fatalities (13.5 per cent) were motorcyclists, seven less than 2011 (16 per cent decrease)
• Forty-four people (16 per cent) were killed in collisions involving heavy vehicles, a decrease of four per cent.
• Forty-one (20.6 per cent) drivers and passengers killed were not wearing a seatbelt, six more than 2011.

“How 41 people who lost their lives on our roads were not wearing a seatbelt just baffles me – that is one in five people,” AC Hill said.

“We have had seatbelt legislation in place in this state for more than 40 years.

“It is estimated that wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk of death or serious injury by 50 per cent.

“Whether you are travelling a short distance down the road or on a long journey,
always wear a seatbelt - there’s no excuse.”

Please note: Road toll statistics provided by Victoria Police Corporate Statistics Department. Data is subject to change.

Analysis of 2012 road toll statistics:

Victorian road toll:
2011 – 287
2010 – 288
2009 – 290
2008 – 303
2007 – 332
2006 – 337
2005 – 346
2004 – 343
2003 – 330
2002 – 397
2001 – 444
2000 – 407
1999 – 383
1998 – 390
1997 – 377
1996 – 417
1995 – 418
1994 – 378
1993 – 436
1992 – 396
1991 – 503
1990 – 548

Road toll adjustment:

• Since the release of the provisional road toll on 1 January, seven fatal collisions have been reviewed.
• Of those two were removed from the road toll and five were added. Those added included:
• • An 86-year-old Pascoe Vale man died 20 days after his vehicle went through an intersection and crashed into a tree in Pasco Vale on 11 October, 2012.
  • An 84-year-old man from Glen Waverley passed away in hospital five days after a crash in Wheelers Hill on 21 November, 2012 after his vehicle crashed into the gate posts at Jells Park.
  • An 87-year-old man from Nyah died in hospital a week after his car collided into the rear of another vehicle in Swan Hill on 23 November, 2012.
  • A 72-year-old California Gully man was killed when his car ran off the road into a tree in North Bendigo on 1 December, 2012.
  • A 61-year-old Spotswood woman passed away in hospital on 4 January, 2013 from injuries sustained in a crash on the Calder Highway at Big Hill on 24 December, 2012 where her car crashed into trees on the median strip.
• The Road Fatality Review Panel meets approximately every six weeks and reviews cases for inclusion and exclusion on the official road toll.
• Cases which may be excluded from the road toll include those where medical reasons were the cause of death, incidents which have occurred off-road (paddocks, private property) and those where the death has been deliberate or intentional.