For every death, on roads in the Kimberley region during the 2015-2019 period, there were many more people seriously injured. Many of these serious injuries result in permanent disability and change lives forever, placing a huge burden on public health resources and the community.
The definition of a road fatality in WA is: a person who was killed immediately or died within 30 days of the date of a road crash, as a result of the crash. The definition of a serious injury in WA is: admitted to hospital as an inpatient for treatment of injuries sustained in a crash, but did not die within 30 days of the crash.
The first image to the right provides a breakdown, for the Kimberley region, of the proportion and number of people killed or seriously injured (KSI) on State versus Local Government roads.
The second image to the right shows the average annual KSI rate per 100,000 population for both State and Local Government roads, the change from the last reporting period and data about road length and usage.
What are the Most Common Crash Types in the Kimberley?
In the Kimberley region, the most common crash types include and non-collision, run-off-road, and hit-pedestrian crashes.
This data, taken from the Kimberley region Road Safety Performance Local Government Roads 2015-2019 Report, can assist Local Governments to prioritise their time, resources, and effort towards implementing road safety interventions which target treatment of the crashes that are killing and injuring the most people in their area.
How can I get Involved in Road Safety in the Kimberley?
We can all play a role in preventing road crashes. Governments, communities and individual road users can all contribute in different ways to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.
There are a number of road safety initiatives being implemented in the Kimberley region, two being Coffee Stop and Driver Reviver
These programs provide free coffee or tea to drivers to encouraging them to take a break from driving, helping to address driver fatigue in Western Australia.
To find out how you can get involved in these and other road safety initiatives, visit the Take Action section of this website or contact Regional Road Safety Advisor, Greg Hayes.