Australian road statistics

More Australians have died in car crashes than World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War combined.

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  • More Australians have died in car crashes than World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War combined.
    • 521: Australians who died in the Vietnam War
    • 39,648: Australians who died in World War II
    • 61,516: Australians who died in World War I
    • 180,000+: Australians who have died in car crashes
  • In 1970, car crash fatalities peaked at 3,798. In 2014, yearly fatalities had dropped to 1,154.
  • A number of factors have contributed to the decreased fatality rate, including:
    • Road design
    • Law & enforcement
    • Driver education
    • Car safety
  • In 2014, road accidents could be attributed to 45% of deaths of young people aged 17-25.
  • $27 billion is the estimated cost of car accidents in Australia per year.
  • In 2014 there were 17.6 million cars registered in Australia.
  • Australians drive an average of 15,500 kilometres per year.
  • The risk of being in a serious car crash approximately doubles for every 5km/h you drive over 60km/h.