Drive safe this Christmas: New analysis reveals most dangerous times to be on the road

Across the country, Saturday is the most dangerous day, with 3-4pm the most dangerous hour.

 

Sydney, Australia, 26 November: Ahead of the holiday season and summer, when Aussies will be hitting the road to visit family and friends, new analysis from Teletrac Navman, a leading global GPS fleet management provider, has revealed the most dangerous times to be on the roads. This has identified 3-4pm on a Saturday as the deadliest time to be on the roads.

Using data from the Government’s Australian Road Deaths Database, Teletrac Navman’s analysis has for the first timemapped out Australian traffic fatalities by time of day, week and month, broken down by state and territory.

The analysis is based on deaths on the road since 2011 up until July 2018. In that time, there were 9200 deaths: 2,535 females (27.6%) and 6,649 men (72.7%), with gender unreported in 7 fatalities. The average age of those killed was 44 years old. There were 46 fatalities involving children under one year old, with 272 under ten, and 902 eighteen or younger. The eldest road fatality was a 101-year-old driver, one of two centenarians who lost their lives on the road in the last 7 years.

The research shows that across the country, Saturday is the deadliest day on the roads. March is the most dangerous month, with the highest number of fatalities. On average, the cooler months are more dangerous, but in all states except NSW and QLD, the number of deaths in December is above average, with a spike in road fatalities in the month of Christmas.

TAS is the only state with a summer month, January, as the deadliest. However, for every state at least one of the summer months (Dec-Feb) has an above average number of deaths. For half the states (NSW, QLD, WA, TAS) at least one of the summer months is one of the top two most dangerous. The most dangerous time of day to be on the road is 3.00pm-3.59pm, with the afternoon significantly more dangerous than the morning.

Summary of data

State	No. of deaths (% of total)	Most dangerous Time	Most Dangerous Day	Most Dangerous Month	Percentage of Australian population
NSW	2666 (29%)	3.00pm-3.59pm	Saturday	August	NSW represents 32% of Australia’s     population
VIC	1962 (21.3%)	3.00pm-3.59pm	Saturday	March	VIC represents 25.8% of Australia’s population
QLD	1902 (20.67%)	3.00pm-3.59pm	Saturday	May	QLD represents 20% of Australia’s population
SA	729 (7.92%)	11.00am-11.59am	Sunday	March	SA represents 7% of Australia’s population
WA	1300 (14.1%)	3.00pm-3.59pm	Saturday	March	WA represents 10.4% of Australia’s population
NT	323 (3.51%)	7.00-7.59pm	Saturday	June	NT represents 1% of Australia’s population
ACT	72 (0.78%)	4.00pm-4.59pm	Wednesday	March	ACT represents 1.7% of Australia’s population
TAS	246 (2.67%)	1.00pm-1.59pm	Sunday	January	TAS represents 2.1% of Australia’s population

VIC and NSW, were the safest states, with lower rates of collisions than their populations would suggest. Despite representing 25.8 per cent of Australia’s population, VIC only accounted for 21.3 per cent of road fatalities, making it the safest state to be on the road. NSW, at 32 per cent of the population, accounted for 29 per cent of road deaths, the second safest.

WA is the most dangerous state to be on the road, representing only 10.4 per cent of the population but 14.1 per cent of all deaths. The NT is almost as dangerous, with the territory home to just 1 per cent of the population but 3.51 per cent of deaths on the road.

According to the data, most deaths on the road are the result of car collisions (65.6%); 46.5 per cent of these were the drivers, while the remaining 19.1 per cent were passengers. This was followed by motorcyclists (16.6%), pedestrians (13.7%) and cyclists (3.1%).

Chris L’Ecluse, former NSW Traffic Officer, now Solutions Specialist at Teletrac Navman said, "This new analysis is a sobering reminder of the need to keep learning as drivers and be aware on the road. On average, there are 1,250 fatal collisions on Australian roads per year, yet these deaths are largely predictable and preventable."

"Too often, drivers ignore road rules and find a way to justify it to themselves. This includes driving behaviours like speeding, looking at your phone while driving, or rolling through stop signs. I spent over 20 years' as a police officer and I’ve seen first-hand the devastating impact of road collisions, on the individuals themselves, their families, friends and communities. Drivers need to think about the consequences of infractions and look to rectify these behaviours. As a society, it is our responsibility to ensure we are each doing everything we can to prevent these deaths," Mr L’Ecluse continued.

Chris’ top tips to stay safe on the road at Christmas

1. Know the Fatal Five

   Drink driving, speeding, driving under the influence of drugs or medication, failure to wear a seatbelt, and fatigue make up the Fatal Five. These are the biggest contributors to road trauma, not only in Australia but globally. Road trauma doesn’t discriminate – it doesn’t matter what demographic you fall into, anyone can be affected. These are the five key factors that should never be ignored when on the road.

2. Minimise distractions

   We all know that you shouldn’t be using your phone while driving, but this also extends to speaking on Bluetooth, handsfree sets, or any other distractions. You may want to catch up on your favourite podcast, but it’s scientifically proven that the brain struggles to focus on more than one thing at a time. So, if you’re paying attention to something else, you’re not giving 100 per cent to your driving. In the event of a collision, if you’re focused on the road you have an extra second to react – if you’re not paying attention then panic can set in. Not to mention, even if you’re using a hands-free device, you can still be prosecuted for dangerous driving causing death or injury if found to have been using a phone at the time of the collision.

3. Think of the journey not the destination

   During the holidays it’s easy to get in the car and think only of where you’re going and all the great things you’ll do when you get there. When you’re the driver, you must re-engage, and think about the drive. Is your tyre pressure okay? What’s the best route? Do you have enough fuel? When and where can you take a rest stop? Thinking these things through and checking your car’s health can be the difference between a safe journey and something going wrong.

4. Secure loose objects

   We wear seatbelts to secure ourselves in the car, but what about everything else? Ensure your mobile phone, handbag, groceries, pets etc. are all secured if they are in the car. In the event of a collision, loose items are like missiles and can be very dangerous. A good rule is that if something is not secured, it needs to go in the boot.

5. Understand the physical effects of fatigue

   Fatigue has similar effects on driving as high range drink driving. But because getting tired is natural for humans, there’s no social stigma surrounding driving while tired, unlike with drink driving. So, it’s important to know the warning signs of fatigue. The three biggest precursors to fatigue are yawning, rubbing eyes, and fidgeting in the seat. If you’re trying to restimulate yourself e.g. rolling down the windows or turning up the radio, then you need to stop and take a break. It’s also key to understand the body’s natural need for rest. Humans are least alert between 12am and 5am – this is worth considering when planning your journey.

 

About Chris L’Ecluse

Chris L’Ecluse is Solutions Specialist at Teletrac Navman and brings over 20 years of experience as a police officer and driver trainer. He joined the police force in the late 1980s and was put on traffic duty. After many different roles in the force, Chris moved into crash investigation. Being faced with victims, who were often seriously or fatally injured, reinforced his resolve to educate people about road safety. Moving into Advanced Defensive Driving training, Chris was introduced to the role of telematics, and the ability of the technology to improve driving safety. His work at Teletrac Navman now combines his passion for education with his experience in law enforcement, allowing him to interpret the legislation and work with businesses to meet their safety requirements.

About Teletrac Navman

Teletrac Navman is a leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider leveraging location-based technology and services for managing mobile assets. With specialised solutions that deliver greater visibility into real-time insights and analytics, Teletrac Navman helps companies make better business decisions that enhance productivity and profitability. Its fleet and asset management technology uncovers information that would otherwise go unseen, helping customers reduce risk and confidently move their business forward with certainty. It tracks and manages more than 500,000 vehicles and assets for more than 40,000 companies around the world. The company is headquartered in Glenview, IL, with additional offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico. For more information visit teletracnavman.com.

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