Older drivers the new road safety risk

Older drivers the new road safety risk as deaths of young drivers hit new lows.

Older drivers have been confirmed as the new road safety risk as deaths of younger drivers have been cut by one third over the past five years.
 
Motorists also need to give cyclists a bigger safety gap as the number of fatalities has risen by a staggering 44 per cent over the past year -- to 56 deaths in the 12 months to July 2014, or more than one fatality a week.
 
The latest figures show Australia's road toll has fallen to a new low -- and deaths of 17-to-25-year-olds have dropped by 33 per cent over the past five years -- but fatalities among those aged over 65 have increased by 10 per cent over the same period. 
 
Five years ago, 307 drivers aged 17-to-25 died on the nation's roads compared to 235 road users over the age of 65.
 
But in the 12 months to July, 204 young drivers died compared to 258 deaths of those aged over 65.
 
The latest national data does not make it clear whether the fatal crashes are being caused by older drivers or whether they are being killed as passengers or pedestrians.
 
However, three out of every four people killed in a car is the driver and, even taking into account Australia's aging population, experts believe older drivers are over-represented in the road toll.
 
"While road safety is something that affects all age groups, clearly older road users are over-represented in (these figures)," said the spokesman for the Australian Automobile Association, James Goodwin.
 
"They may not be the drivers in all cases but, as the population ages, this is something that we as a community need to study more closely.
 
"People are feeling healthier into their older years and getting out more, but may not have the same cognitive skills."
 
Older drivers could also be driving older and less safe cars, the AAA says.
 
Figures for July released today by the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development show that 1157 people have died on Australian roads over the past 12 months, down from the 2013 calendar-year tally of 1193 deaths.
 
The 12-month tally is the lowest since 1935 when 1100 people died, and is down from a peak of 3978 deaths in 1970 when there were fewer cars on the road and the population of 12.2 million was a little more than half what it is today.
 
Road deaths over the past five years are down in every state in Australia except Tasmania, where the road toll is up by 28 per cent (from 32 in the 12 months to July 2010, to 41 deaths in the 12 months to July 2014).
 
The latest figures show motor vehicle fatalities in Australia have fallen to five deaths per 100,000 people for the first time since records were kept -- but our roads are still the 16th most dangerous among OECD countries, behind Turkey (4.99), Finland (4.71), Germany (4.39), Switzerland (4.26) and Spain (4.12).
 
The safest roads are in Iceland (2.82 deaths per 100,000 people), the UK (2.83), Norway (2.89), Denmark (2.99) and Sweden (2.99), according to the latest data, from 2012, compiled by the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.
 
The five most dangerous roads among the OECD nations are in Chile (11.38 deaths per 100,000 people), South Korea (10.78), the USA (10.69), Poland (9.27) and Greece (8.87).
 
But figures from the World Health Organisation show that China and India have much higher road fatality rates (approximately 20 deaths per 100,000 people according to 2010 data).
 
The worst places on the planet for road deaths are the Dominican Republic (41.7 fatalities per 100,000 people), Thailand (38.1), Venezuela (37.2), South Africa (31.9), Iran (34.1), Iraq (31.5) and Oman (30.4), the WHO data showed.

Why is Australia's road toll so low?
 
Safer cars
Five of the past six years have been records for new-car sales and most new models have six airbags and stability control (which can prevent a skid). The average age of all cars on Australian roads has dipped to below 10 years, but is still not as low as other developed countries such as Japan, the UK and the USA whose vehicle fleets are an average of six to eight years old.
 
Safer roads
Although large sections of the Pacific Highway south of the Queensland border are a national disgrace -- more like a tourist route than a major arterial -- more than 60 per cent of the route is divided highway. You can now also drive from Sydney to Melbourne without hitting a traffic light after recent bypasses were completed near Albury.
 
More enforcement
In addition to increasing the number of highway patrol on our roads, police cars are now better equipped with technology. In NSW almost every highway patrol car is fitted with automatic number plate recognition technology (other states are rolling out the same system but in much lower numbers) which identify unregistered cars, unlicenced drivers and wanted vehicles. Police figures show up to a quarter of road deaths involve unregistered cars and unlicenced or disqualified drivers. 
 
Tighter restrictions on young drivers
Zero alcohol limits, a ban on high-powered cars, restrictions on the number of passengers, and an increasing use of police drug testing means provide a good incentive for young drivers to obey the law.
 
Better technology
Better phone coverage in remote areas means there is a better chance of calling emergency services for an ambulance by road or air. "Time costs lives," says one paramedic. Meanwhile, ambulances in some of our busiest cities have also added a small fleet of motorcycles to cut through traffic and get to serious crashes more quickly.