Skip navigation
View Cart

Freight

Cover of Heavy Vehicle Safety Data
Heavy Vehicle Safety Data
  • Publication no: AP-R441-13
  • ISBN: 978-1-925037-08-1
  • Published: 17 June 2013

This report presents recommendations for the creation of a database to support heavy vehicle road safety performance indicators. It aims to assist state road agencies, police and other stakeholders identify and collect the minimum datasets required to address these safety performance indicators and suggests options for enhancing this minimum dataset with data from additional sources.

Reducing heavy vehicle crashes has been identified in the recently published National Road Transport Strategy (2011-2020) as a key factor to reduce road trauma. The recording of accurate and reliable heavy vehicle crash data is an important step in developing effective policy and safety countermeasures.

  • 1. Introduction
    • 1.1. Purpose
    • 1.2. Scope
    • 1.3. Methodology
      • 1.3.1. Literature review
      • 1.3.2. Comparison of heavy vehicle crash reporting across Australia and NZ
      • 1.3.3. The heavy vehicle safety workshop
    • 1.4. Organisation of the report
  • 2. Australian and international Heavy Vehicle crash investigation projects
    • 2.1. The Large Truck Crash Causation Study (LTCCS)
      • 2.1.1. Findings from the LTCCS
    • 2.2. Trucks Involved in Fatal Accidents (TIFA)
      • 2.2.1. Findings from TIFA
    • 2.3. European Truck Accident Causation (ETAC)
      • 2.3.1. Findings from ETAC
    • 2.4. The Heavy Vehicle Study
    • 2.5. Lessons from heavy vehicle crash studies
    • 2.6. Best practice in crash data collection
      • 2.6.1. Standardised crash reporting
  • 3. A snapshot of heavy vehicle crash data across Australia and New Zealand
    • 3.1. Australian Capital Territory
    • 3.2. New South Wales
    • 3.3. Northern Territory
    • 3.4. Queensland
    • 3.5. South Australia
    • 3.6. Tasmania
    • 3.7. Victoria
    • 3.8. Western Australia
    • 3.9. New Zealand
    • 3.10. Other sources of heavy vehicle safety data in Australia
      • 3.10.1. The Australian Road Deaths Database (ARDD)
      • 3.10.2. The Australian Truck Crash Database (ATCD)
      • 3.10.3. The National Crash Database (NCD)
      • 3.10.4. The National Coroner’s Information System (NCIS) and coroner’s files
      • 3.10.5. Hospital records
      • 3.10.6. Workplace safety data
      • 3.10.7. Heavy vehicle insurance data
      • 3.10.8. The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator
      • 3.10.9. Australian Bureau of Statistics
      • 3.10.10. The National Exchange of Vehicle and Driver Information System (NEVDIS)
      • 3.10.11. Documentary information contained on or in the vehicle
  • 4. Limitations and variations in current data sets
    • 4.1. Police crash reporting
    • 4.2. National consistency of data and known issues
      • 4.2.1. Inter-jurisdictional comparisons
      • 4.2.2. Reliability and known limitations of Australian jurisdictions’ heavy vehicle crash data
      • 4.2.3. Registration and Licensing within Australia
    • 4.3. Comparison of the extensiveness of data recorded from different types of investigations
      • 4.3.1. Harmonisation of Australian crash definitions
  • 5. heavy vehicle road safety performance indicators
    • 5.1. A heavy vehicle SPI minimum data set
      • 5.1.1. Draft crash data reporting template
    • 5.2. Important data missing from the reporting template
      • 5.2.1. Work Diary Information and Fatigue
      • 5.2.2. Load type and Commodity Classification
    • 5.3. Options for enhancing the minimum database
      • 5.3.1. Post processing and cross-linking
      • 5.3.2. In-depth data collection
    • 5.4. Secondary safety performance indicators
    • 5.5. Other considerations
  • Vehicle Safety Technology
  • 6. Conclusions
    • 6.1. Broader considerations
  • 7. Recommendations
    • 7.1. The minimum database
    • 7.2. Improving the minimum database
  • References
  • Appendix 1 Survey Questions
  • Appendix 2 Comparison of database variables
  • Appendix 3 Crash Reporting Template
  • Appendix 4 List of Variables
Related publications
Webinar: Methodology for Comparing Dangerous Goods Risk in Road Tunnels to Those on Alternative Routes
WEB-R703-24
Webinar: Driving Data Potential: Exploring the Country's Road Network in the Digital Atlas of Australia
WEB-GADA-24
Webinar: Changes to the National Heavy Vehicle Driver Competency Framework
WEB-DRIS-24
View all related publications
Latest Freight News
19 Dec 2023
Ministers approve reform package to improve road safety and productivity

Australia’s Transport Ministers have agreed in-principle to an improved, nationally‑consistent approach to the training and licence progression of heavy vehicle drivers, that improves road safety and productivity.
12 Dec 2023
Austroads is leading the implementation of a national automated access system for heavy vehicles

Austroads is taking the lead in implementing a national automated access system (NAAS) for heavy vehicles in Australia and New Zealand. The NAAS will support road managers, including road authorities, local government and third parties, to provide access decisions more efficiently, driving productivity and safety across state borders.
View all news