Monthly overview of crash statistics September 2009

September Road Deaths (2009)

The data presented here are provisional. Crash data as at – 16th October 2009.

• Thirty-seven people died on New Zealand roads in September. This is thirteen more than the number of deaths for September 2008 and is nine more than the average September toll for the last five years.

• To the end of September this year 307 people have died on New Zealand roads. This is 43 more than at the same time last year.
• In the 12 months to the end of September 2009, 408 people were killed on our roads. This is twenty three more than the number of deaths in the 12 months to the end of September 2008.
• During September, 17 of the deaths were car or van drivers, nine were car or van passengers, eight were motorcyclists, two were pedestrians, one was a truck passenger, and one was a cyclist.
• Twenty-two of the 37 killed were in open road crashes. Seventeen were in single vehicle crashes in which a driver lost control of the vehicle or ran off the road, eleven were in head-on crashes and three were in overtaking and lane changing crashes.
• Of the 26 vehicle occupants killed, nine were not restrained at the time of the crash.

Deaths and Police reported injuries by age, sex and type of road user

Deaths are for the 12 months to the end of September 2009. Reported injuries are for the 12 months to the end of March 2009.

Note: Preliminary fatal crash reports are submitted within 24 hours of a crash related death. Full injury crash reports are submitted only after the crash investigations are completed, so there is a lag in the reporting of injury crashes.

Road user type by sex

Since 1990 the number of vehicles on the road has increased by 49% while Police reported injuries have dropped by 11%, road deaths have dropped by 46% and the number of days spent in hospital as a result of road crashes has dropped by 50%.

Crash outcomes and road user behaviour

*Includes only the first stay in hospital

Note: Road deaths for 2009 are for the 12 months to the end of September 2009. Reported injuries for 2009 are for the 12 months to the end of March 2009.

Factors contributing to crashes – ranked by social cost*

Notes:  Crash data for the 12 months to end of March 2009.

Since there can be several contributing factors for a single crash the figures represented in this graph add to more than 100%.

* Social cost calculations include loss of life or life quality, loss of output due to injuries, medical and rehabilitation costs, legal and court costs and property damage.