Motorcycle toll continues fall
The Australian Motorcycle Council has cautiously welcomed news that motorcycle fatalities in Australia have dropped by 10% in the past 12 months, at the same time as motorcycle registrations continue to increase.
AMC chairman, Shaun Lennard, noted the figures contained in two reports released to coincide with the first anniversary of the launch of the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety.
The Bureau for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE) recently released its 2011 Statistical Summary on Australian road deaths, and also the most recent version of its monthly review of road deaths – this latest to the 12 months ended April 2012. The 2011 report contains two sets of figures relating to motorcyclists – the raw numbers of fatalities and deaths per 10,000 registrations.
“In raw numbers, there was a 10% decline in the 2011 year – 201 deaths was the lowest number in seven years,” said Lennard. “So far this year the trend is maintained, with the 12 months to April 2012 showing a 10.4% drop over the previous 12 months.”
198 motorcyclists were killed on Australian roads in the 12 months to 30 April.
“But it’s when analysing deaths per 10,000 registrations, you see just how significantly the situation has actually improved over time,” Lennard continued.
“From 2002 until 2006, this remained at around 5 deaths per 10,000 registrations. So as the number of riders started to increase significantly, so too the number of deaths. But this has changed markedly and consistently over the past six years. The rate in 2011 was just under 2 deaths per 10,000. There was a 12.7% decrease last year alone, and an average of 6.7% decrease for the past decade.”
“This number is still way too high. Every single road death represents a tragic set of circumstances for everyone involved. But at least it’s a good sign to see the motorcycle toll now below 200. Below 100 would be far better.”
“We’re not getting overly-excited about just one set of figures – however the trend is continuing to go in the right direction,” he concluded. “Riding a motorcycle or scooter in Australia has never been safer.”
