Trends in serious injury due to land transport accidents, Australia 2000-01 to 2007-08

This report presents trends of serious non-fatal injury due to land transport accidents in Australia over the period 2000-01 to 2007-08 with a focus on road vehicle traffic crashes. Over the 8-year period, age-standardised rates for persons seriously injured due to a road traffic crash increased from 138.4 to 153.4 per 100,000 population. Over one-quarter (28%) of those seriously injured due to a road traffic crash sustained life-threatening injuries. Drivers of motor vehicles, motor cyclists and pedal cyclists all recorded significant increases in age-standardised rates of life-threatening injury over this period. For males aged 45-64 years, the combined total of high threat to life injuries due to motorcycle and pedal cycle road traffic crashes as a percentage of all high threat to life injuries due to road traffic crashes rose from almost 30% in 2000-01 to 50% in 2007-08.