Comments on: Australia vs England: Road Safety

By: BobinOz

BobinOz — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 09:17:08 +0000

Yes, you are right, it’s a big problem. We have long stretches of road where very little happens, not even a traffic light or a roundabout for miles. Ideal for dozing off.

And those roos should really learn how to cross the road!

By: Jenny

Jenny — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:54:40 +0000

I think another factor in Australia is that people are traveling further and there isn’t always much in between. I live in the central west of NSW and it’s 400kms to Sydney. People out here will frequently drive there for a weekend.

With big trips you also get people doing long days of driving with the resulting fatigue and twilight encounters with roos. People are very resistant to slower speed limits when a trip is already going to take five or six or eight or ten hours.

By: BobinOz

BobinOz — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:26:18 +0000

You are right John, it looks like Britain’s roads are getting safer. This is probably just a natural byproduct of traffic congestion. Or has the government run a successful television ad campaign? Hmm. I doubt it.

Anyway, in 2007 the death toll was 2,946 and in 2008 it had fallen to 2,538. So Australia clearly is the country with the most dangerous roads, but assuming you don’t have an accident here, you will get to your destination faster.

But for both countries, the figures are scary. You’ve made an interesting point, you’d need about six plane crashes a year in the UK and three or four plane crashes a year in Australia to get to those numbers. Would anybody fly if that happened?

Yet none of us think anything about getting into our cars.

PS. Near? What did I get wrong?

By: John Wilkes

John Wilkes — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 01:44:55 +0000

Could you please up-date your figures for U.K. road deaths , it’s now considerably lower than those for 2005……I think it’s closer to 2600…..still too many . If countries had that number of train or ‘plane deaths there would be a national outcry . P.S. Your site is almost near to brilliant !

By: BobinOz

BobinOz — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 07:24:05 +0000

Thats a good point, you don’t “seem” to have to be so alert to drive around here. Driving in England, you really do have to keep your wits about you. So I can see how that can cause extra accidents.
I heard about the shooting incident, very bad and fortunately very rare.

By: Bruce Moon

Bruce Moon — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:58:33 +0000

I reckon the problem in Oz is not the wide open spaces. To me, its the lack of competition for roadspace.

When ever I travel overseas, I notice that fewer drivers nod off regarding other users. Everywhere, the driver is alert to someone doing something potentially stupid and is generally ready to take appropriate action.

Here in Oz, the clowns seem to believe that the bit of road they are using is theirs, and theirs alone. Pity anyone that comes onto THEIR bit of road. We’ve even had a driver shot because he had the audacity to criticise another driver!!!

That said, the sad fact is that Oz drivers don’t take enough care to be alert, and accidents thus follow.

Cheers