Monthly Overview of Crash Statistics December 2008
Last updated on
4/03/2009 12:01 p.m.
Monthly Road Crash Statistics Update
December Road Deaths (2008)
Download Monthly Overview of Crash Statistics December 2008
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The data presented here are provisional. Crash data as at – 8th January 2009
Forty-eight people died on New Zealand roads in December. This is two more than the number of deaths for December 2007 and is three more than the average December toll for the last five years.
In the 12 months to the end of December 2008, 364 people were killed on our roads. This is 57 fewer than the 12 month toll at the end of December 2007.
During December, 25 of the deaths were car or van drivers, ten were car or van passengers, seven were motorcyclists, five were pedestrians and one was a truck driver.
Forty-one of the 48 killed were in open road crashes. Twenty were in single vehicle crashes in which a driver lost control of the vehicle or ran off the road, nine were in head on crashes and eight were in intersection crashes.
Of the 36 vehicle occupants killed, eight 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 December 2008. Reported injuries are for the 12 months to the end of June 2008.
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
| |
|
Male |
Female |
Total |
%Male |
| Drivers |
Killed |
109
|
54
|
163
|
67%
|
| |
Injured |
5054
|
3891
|
8945
|
57%
|
| Passengers |
Killed |
58
|
45
|
103
|
56%
|
| |
Injured |
1661
|
1987
|
3648
|
46%
|
| Motorcyclists |
Killed |
47
|
4
|
51
|
92%
|
| |
Injured
|
1119
|
251
|
1370
|
82%
|
| Pedestrians |
Killed |
21
|
10
|
31
|
68%
|
| |
Injured |
497
|
429
|
926
|
54%
|
| Cyclists |
Killed |
6
|
4
|
10
|
60%
|
| |
Injured |
669
|
253
|
922
|
73%
|
| Other |
Killed |
3
|
3
|
6
|
50%
|
| |
Injured |
25
|
13
|
38
|
66%
|
| Total |
Killed |
244
|
120
|
364
|
67%
|
| |
Injured |
9024
|
6824
|
15489
|
57%
|
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Deaths - Road user type by age group
| Deaths |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Age group |
Drivers |
Passengers |
Motorcyclists |
Pedestrians |
Cyclists |
Other |
Total |
| Under-15 |
1
|
16
|
1
|
4
|
0
|
1
|
23
|
| 15-24 |
51
|
44
|
13
|
6
|
2
|
0
|
116
|
| 25-34 |
29
|
16
|
9
|
4
|
1
|
0
|
59
|
| 35-44 |
22
|
4
|
11
|
4
|
0
|
0
|
41
|
| 45-54 |
20
|
2
|
9
|
1
|
2
|
0
|
34
|
| 55-64 |
14
|
12
|
3
|
4
|
3
|
0
|
36
|
| 65-74 |
9
|
3
|
4
|
3
|
2
|
0
|
21
|
| 75+ |
14
|
6
|
1
|
4
|
0
|
5
|
30
|
| Unknown |
3
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
| Total |
163
|
103
|
51
|
31
|
10
|
6
|
364
|
Injured - Road user type by age group
| Injured |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Age group |
Drivers |
Passengers |
Motorcyclists |
Pedestrians |
Cyclists |
Other |
Total |
|
Under-15
|
18
|
606
|
27
|
229
|
161
|
7
|
1048
|
| 15-24 |
2881
|
1507
|
414
|
216
|
165
|
7
|
5190
|
| 25-34 |
1682
|
405
|
245
|
94
|
135
|
2
|
2563
|
| 35-44 |
1530
|
272
|
253
|
80
|
181
|
0
|
2316
|
| 45-54 |
1212
|
199
|
265
|
68
|
135
|
0
|
1879
|
| 55-64 |
719
|
144
|
112
|
43
|
65
|
0
|
1083
|
| 65-74 |
406
|
103
|
19
|
57
|
25
|
6
|
616
|
| 75+ |
392
|
111
|
7
|
58
|
9
|
13
|
590
|
| Unknown |
105
|
301
|
28
|
81
|
46
|
3
|
564
|
| Total |
8945
|
3648
|
1370
|
926
|
922
|
38
|
15849
|
Since 1990 the number of vehicles on the road has increased by 52% while Police reported injuries have dropped by 5%, road deaths have dropped by 52% and the number of days spent in hospital as a result of road crashes has dropped by 46%.
Crash outcomes and road user behaviour
| |
1999 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
| Road Crash Data |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Deaths |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Number of road deaths |
508
|
462
|
455
|
405
|
461
|
435
|
405
|
393
|
421
|
364
|
| Deaths per 10,000 vehicles |
2.0
|
1.8
|
1.7
|
1.5
|
1.6
|
1.5
|
1.3
|
1.3
|
1.3
|
1.1
|
| Deaths per 100,000 people |
13.3
|
12.1
|
11.8
|
10.3
|
11.5
|
10.7
|
9.9
|
9.5
|
10.0
|
8.5
|
| Injuries |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Reported injuries |
11999
|
10962
|
12368
|
13918
|
14372
|
13890
|
14456
|
15174
|
16013
|
15850
|
| Number hospitalised(all discharges) |
5955
|
5990
|
6700
|
6530
|
6540
|
6580
|
7210
|
7680
|
7430
|
7261
|
| Number hospitalised for over 1 day # |
3158
|
2846
|
2880
|
2750
|
2720
|
2710
|
2860
|
3020
|
3060
|
3005
|
| Number hospitalised for over 3 days # |
1966
|
1815
|
1794
|
1740
|
1700
|
1700
|
1840
|
1900
|
1990
|
1923
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Behavioural Measures |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Speed |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Rural speed, % over 100 km/h |
56%
|
52%
|
47%
|
43%
|
39%
|
39%
|
36%
|
32%
|
29%
|
|
| Rural speed, mean (km/h) |
101.8
|
101.1
|
100.2
|
99.1
|
98
|
97.8
|
97.1
|
96.4
|
96.3
|
|
| Rural speed, 85th percentile (km/h) |
112
|
111
|
109
|
107
|
105
|
105
|
104
|
103
|
103
|
|
| Alcohol |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Number of drivers killed with excess alcohol |
61
|
58
|
55
|
60
|
70
|
69
|
58
|
54
|
65
|
|
| Percent of drivers killed with excess alcohol |
21%
|
21%
|
21%
|
24%
|
27%
|
27%
|
25%
|
24%
|
27%
|
|
| Occupant Restraints |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Seat belts worn by adults, front |
89%
|
90%
|
92%
|
92%
|
92%
|
94%
|
95%
|
95%
|
95%
|
95%
|
| Seat belts worn by adults, rear |
67%
|
76%
|
70%
|
78%
|
81%
|
86%
|
86%
|
89%
|
87%
|
|
| Children restrained, 0-14years |
89%
|
87%
|
89%
|
94%
|
96%
|
97%
|
94%
|
96%
|
94%
|
97%
|
| Child restraints used, 0-4years |
75%
|
79%
|
82%
|
86%
|
86%
|
87%
|
89%
|
91%
|
91%
|
|
| Cycle Helmets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Cycle helmets worn, weekday |
95%
|
93%
|
94%
|
89%
|
89%
|
92%
|
91%
|
94%
|
92%
|
92%
|
Note: Road deaths for 2008 are for the 12 months to the end of December 2008. Reported injuries for 2008 are for the 12 months to the end of June 2008.
factors contributing to crashes - ranked by social cost*
Notes: Crash data for the 12 months to end of June 2008
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