1. Title of Presentation to go here Authors Name Road crashes involving stolen motor vehicles in New South Wales and South Australia Emma Ziersch, Sophie Ransom*, Hedyeh Hedayati IAATI Seminar, Sydney, 3-7 August 2008

2. August 2008 What is CARS? Why look at motor vehicle theft and road crashes? Objectives of the research Method Findings Trends Severity of accidents Temporal characteristics Cause of accidents Vehicle characteristics Summary and discussion Outline

3. August 2008 CARS (Comprehensive Auto-theft Research System) was established in South Australia in 1995 to provide timely and accurate motor vehicle theft data, to enable accurate monitoring of trends and effective policy development. CARS expanded to become a national collection in 1999 with funding from the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council (NMVTRC). CARS now provide a range of regular statistical reports, a data service for stakeholders, and conducts research into specific issues relevant to motor vehicle theft in Australia. CARS was developed and is managed by the Office of Crime Statistics and Research (OCSAR), in the South Australian Attorney General’s Department. What is CARS?

4. Police incident and recovery data from all states and territories Currently registered vehicle information from all states and territories Policy and claim details from participating insurers Detailed vehicle specifications purchased from Polk Automotive Intelligence Vehicle security specifications from Insurance Australia Group (IAG) Passenger & light commercial vehicle value estimates from Glass’ Guide Details of vehicles with DataDots ABS demographic and spatial data What data is held by CARS? August 2008

5. Why MVT and road crashes? Stolen vehicles present a danger on our roads There has not been any research conducted previously to indicate the scale or estimate the true cost of crashes involving stolen vehicles Examining crashes involving vehicle theft may help in developing strategies to address the problem August 2008

6. Why MVT and road crashes? February 13, 2007 – South Australia The Advertiser – “Speeding driver on bail kills newlywed” August 2008

7. Why MVT and road crashes? June 21, 2007 – South Australia The Advertiser – “Gang of 49 driver in fatal chase crash” August 2008

8. To: Examine the relationship between motor vehicle crashes and vehicle theft in two Australian states Report on the number of fatalities and injuries for all crashes involving motor vehicle theft Assess the economic and social costs of motor vehicle crashes which involve stolen vehicles Objectives of the research August 2008

9. Method Police vehicle theft data from the CARS database. Crash data: NSW - New South Wales Roads and Traffic Authority. Data from 1999/2000 to 2006/2007. SA - South Australian Department of Transport Energy and Infrastructure. Data from 1995 to 2006. A crash was considered to have involved vehicle theft if a vehicle was reported stolen and remained outstanding at the time it was involved in a crash. August 2008

10. Findings NSW and SA: Number of reported vehicle thefts per year, 1999/00 – 2006/07 August 2008

11. Findings NSW: Number of road crashes and percentage involving a stolen vehicle, 1999/00 – 2006/07 August 2008

12. Findings SA: Number of road crashes and percentage involving a stolen vehicle, 1995–2006 August 2008

13. Findings NSW: Number of crashes involving a stolen vehicle, 1999/00 – 2006/07 August 2008

14. Findings NSW: Crash severity rating of road crashes over the 8-year period, 1990/00 – 2006/07 August 2008

15. Findings NSW: Number of fatalities in crashes involving a stolen vehicle, 1999/00 – 2006/07 August 2008

16. Findings SA: Number of fatalities in crashes involving a stolen vehicle, 1995 – 2006 August 2008

17. Findings NSW: Number of injuries in crashes involving a stolen vehicle, 1999/2000 – 2006/07 August 2008

18. Findings SA: Number of injuries in accidents involving a stolen vehicle, 1995 – 2006 August 2008

19. NSW: Objects first hit by the key vehicle in road crashes, 2006/07 Findings Property Crash involving MVT Crash not involving MVT Vehicle, bicycle or pedestrian48%77% Guard rail or fence16%6% Trees or bushes11%5% Pole, post, building etc.14%5% Other fixed objects6%3% August 2008

20. Findings Property Crash involving MVT Crash not involving MVT Vehicle, bicycle or pedestrian48%77% Guard rail or fence16%6% Trees or bushes11%5% Pole, post, building etc.14%5% Other fixed objects6%3% NSW: Objects first hit by the key vehicle in road crashes, 2006/07 August 2008

21. SA: Types of property damaged in crashes involving a motor vehicle at fault, 2006 Findings PropertyStolen MV at faultMV at fault Motor Vehicle32%78% Property - Other29%9% Property – Pole/sign post20%5% Tree16%5% Property – Bridge/guard rail2%1% Pedestrian1% Cycle0%2% August 2008

22. Findings PropertyStolen MV at faultMV at fault Motor Vehicle32%78% Property - Other29%9% Property – Pole/sign post20%5% Tree16%5% Property – Bridge/guard rail2%1% Pedestrian1% Cycle0%2% SA: Types of property damaged in crashes involving a motor vehicle at fault, 2006 August 2008

23. Findings SA: Total estimated property damage cost of crashes involving stolen vehicles, 1995 – 2006 August 2008

24. Findings South Australia: Includes human, vehicle and general costs. Calculated using 2004 data Average $51,500 per crash = $17 million per year Reference: Baldock and McLean (2005) Total cost estimates New South Wales Includes human, vehicle and general costs. Calculated using 2003 data Average $53,600 per crash = $44 million per year Reference: Connelly and Supangan (2006) August 2008

25. Findings Property Stolen MV in crash MV in crashes not involving vehicle theft Excessive speed38%16% Fatigued27%8% Controller error (loss of control) 27%11% Vehicle skidding, sliding or aqua-planning 11% Distraction6%10% NSW: Involvement of controller factors in road crashes, 2006/07 The driver of the stolen vehicle was considered to be at fault in 95% of cases. August 2008

26. Findings Property Stolen MV in crash MV in crashes not involving vehicle theft Excessive speed38%16% Fatigued27%8% Controller error (loss of control) 27%11% Vehicle skidding, sliding or aqua-planning 11% Distraction6%10% NSW: Involvement of controller factors in road crashes, 2006/07 The driver of the stolen vehicle was considered to be at fault in 95% of cases. August 2008

27. Findings PropertyStolen MV at faultMV at fault Inattention64%45% Dangerous driving9%<1% Excessive speed9%1% Fail to give way2%12% Reverse without due care2%5% Follow too closely2%8% Fail to stand1%7% SA: Top causes of crashes for motor vehicles at fault, 2006 The driver of the stolen vehicle was considered to be at fault in 97% of cases. August 2008

28. Findings PropertyStolen MV at faultMV at fault Inattention64%45% Dangerous driving9%<1% Excessive speed9%1% Fail to give way2%12% Reverse without due care2%5% Follow too closely2%8% Fail to stand1%7% SA: Top causes of crashes for motor vehicles at fault, 2006 The driver of the stolen vehicle was considered to be at fault in 97% of cases. August 2008

29. Findings NSW: Time of day for road crashes, 2006/07 August 2008

30. Findings NSW: Distance between centroids of theft and crash suburbs, 2006/07 August 2008

31. Findings NSW: Motor vehicles by decade of manufacture, 2006/07 August 2008

32. Findings SA: Motor vehicles by decade of manufacture, 2006 August 2008

33. Vehicle theft makes a small but significant contribution to the number of crashes on Australian roads each year – now approximately 1.2% to 1.4% of crashes. This equates to 560 crashes per year in NSW and 272 in South Australia (most recent 12-month period). Over the past 8 years, there have been 75 fatalities and 2,397 injuries in two states resulting from crashes involving vehicle theft. Total estimated costs of these crashes are $44 million in New South Wales and $17 million in South Australia annually. Crashes involving stolen vehicles are less likely to be serious crashes involving fatalities and injuries, but clearly serious harm does occur. Summary August 2008

34. Crashes involving vehicle theft were more likely to occur at night and to collide with fixed objects which may indicate inexperienced (unlicensed?) drivers. Crashes involving stolen vehicles were more likely to involve speed, driver fatigue and dangerous driving meaning considerable risk for other road users. Crashes tend to occur within a few kilometres of the location they were stolen from and within hours of being stolen. Stolen vehicles involved in crashes are likely to be older model vehicles lacking a range of modern security and safety features. Summary August 2008

35. Implications Vehicle theft is not a minor crime and can have very serious outcomes. Targeting and reducing vehicle theft helps achieve the important goal of reducing the number of deaths and injuries on our roads. Because many crashes occur close to the theft in terms of both time and distance, preventing the crash after the vehicle is stolen may not be an option – better to prevent the theft in the first place. Older vehicles are popular theft targets and making them harder targets reduces their risk of being stolen and then involved in a crash. August 2008

36. Immobilise older vehicles Education Diversionary programs Policy implications August 2008

37. Questions or comments? Sophie Ransom Senior Research Officer, National CARS Project Email: sophie-k@wildmail.com www.ncars.on.net www.carsafe.com.au Thank you August 2008