In a comparison between Australian and American road accident statistics, various differences were
found between the two nations.
The first difference comes in the amount of fatalities both countries encounter. To avoid the variable
of different population sizes, different types of statistics are recorded. In 2004, the total road
fatalities in Australia and America was 1 583 and 42 366.
When these statistics were averaged out to be a per capita rate (or per 100 000 population) America
has a much higher fatality rate. The total 1 583 Australian deaths averaged to 7.9 deaths per capita
where as the total 42 366 American deaths averaged to 14.52. A factor affecting this could be the
fact that America has busier streets and more cars on the road due to a higher population. The more
cars on the road means a higher the chance of an accident occurring.
These statistics can also be interpreted in terms of distance travelled. Although there is slight
discrepancy in comparing these statistics because America and Australia use different units of
measurements (miles and kilometres respectively), they are still valid for interpretation. Per 100
million miles travelled by vehicles in America, an average 1.46 fatalities occur. This is only slightly
higher than the Australian average then the 0.8 fatalities Australia experiences on average per 100
million kilometres.
Finally, these statistics can also be compared in terms of fatalities per 10 000 registered vehicles.
This is the fairest comparison because it takes into account the amount of cars on the road. Although
there will still be discrepancy found in the population distribution and road infrastructure of each
nation. In Australia, there was an average 1.2 deaths per 10 000 registered vehicles, and in America
there was an average 18 deaths per the same amount. This clearly shows that America had more
fatal road fatalities then Australia in 2004.
In conclusion, it can be seen that in any form these statistics are presented, America suffer a higher
rate of road incident fatality then Australia does. There are many factors which could affect this such
as road and car quality.