NSW: NSW road toll falls to lowest level since 1944
01 Jan 2009 3:03 PM
SYDNEY, Jan 1 AAP - NSW has recorded its lowest annual road toll since the Second World War, as the number of people killed on the state's roads declined for a sixth straight year.
The 2008 road toll was 395, 40 fewer than last year, and 30 per cent lower than the 561 killed in 2002.
NSW Roads Minister Michael Daley said the toll was a 64-year-record, and the first time it had fallen below 400 since 1944.
"This is the sixth year in a row the road toll has gone down in NSW, which hasn't happened since records began 100 years ago," Mr Daley said.
"This is despite there being 15 times as many vehicles, 11 times as many licensed drivers and double the population on our roads since 1944.
"There will be 40 people today enjoying New Year's Day with their families who may not have otherwise have been able to do that if the road toll hadn't been reduced from last year."
The continual reduction in road deaths was a drastic turnaround since 1978, in which 1,384 people were killed during the days before random breath testing, he said.
More illustrative of the downturn is that the 2008 fatality rate was just 5.7 deaths per 100,000 people, the lowest since records began in 1908.
The state was now catching world leaders such as the Netherlands, which records just 4.5 deaths per 100,000 people, Mr Daley said.
Traffic Services Commander John Hartley said motorists had taken heed of safe driving message, while the record number of police on the roads was having a sobering affect on drivers.
However, alcohol, not wearing seatbelts and speeding - particularly among young drivers - continued to be a problem.
"Drivers need constant reminding that stupid and irresponsible decisions on the road could lead to your own death, someone you love or that of an innocent party," Chief Superintendent Hartley said.
"We know that speed and alcohol are two major killers on our roads, not wearing a seatbelt also contributes to probably about 20 or 25 total crashes a year.
"That's why I always harp on the seatbelt, the drink driving and the speeding."
Authorities had set themselves a target of fewer than 400 deaths for 2008, and will now look at ways to reduce the toll further in 2009, Chief Superintendent Hartley said.
Drug driving will be targeted over the next 12 months, he said.
Five more Random Drug Testing Trucks will hit the state's roads, taking their total number to eight.
"We'll increase our Random Drug Testing by about 10,000 this coming year," he said.
"That is one of the main issues - I think that we are just beginning to learn about drug driving with new technology coming out.
"We do know that about one in 44 drivers tested is positive to illegal drugs."
AAP ab/jlw
