Comparing Serious Injury & Fatal Crashes (Completed)

The AA Research Foundation wanted to better understand whether some circumstances and injuries from car crashes were more likely to lead to deaths rather than serious injuries.

Results

Serious Injury Crashes final report

Mackie Research, Auckland University and TERNZ (Transport Research NZ) combined for this project to examine the factors involved in serious crashes and the injuries that result from them in extensive detail.

Part 1: The nature of serious injury crashes and how they differ from fatal crashes

Data from 100 fatal and 200 serious injury crashes was analysed using a safe system framework that identified the role of road users, vehicles, roads and roadsides and speed in each incident.

The research also evaluated:

  • whether there are differences in the circumstances that led to fatalities or serious injuries in crashes involving light vehicles?
  • what proportion of crashes involve reckless behaviour?
Part 2: Understanding serious motor vehicle traffic crash injuries

10 years of hospital data was analysed to better understand the proportion of serious injuries that involve life-altering trauma, compared with less-extreme injuries like broken bones.

Expert Steering Group

  • Simon Douglas - AA Research Foundation Manager
  • Dylan Thomsen - AA Research Foundation Advisor
  • Nils Van Lamoen - NZ Police
  • Alex Morrison - Ministry of Transport
  • Rachel McLean - Ministry of Transport
  • Stuart Ross - Accident Compensation Corporation
  • Kaye Clarke - NZ Transport Agency

Serious injury and fatality statistics

  • In 2016, 328 people died in road crashes and 2500 were seriously injured.
  • There was $1.1b social cost from serious injuries in 2016.

Page last updated: January 2018

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