In 2006, there were 14,849 traffic accidents involving injury on Hong Kong's roads, resulting in 18,873 casualties. On average, 41 traffic accidents with injuries occurred every day during the year and about three people were killed every week. Compared to the previous year, the number of accidents and the number of injuries decreased by 1.41% and 1.81% respectively. A total of 144 persons died in road traffic accidents in 2006, which is the lowest number of fatalities recorded in Hong Kong since 1958.
The number of traffic accidents involving injuries (Annexes B and C) has shown no obvious upward or downward trend in the past 10 years. However, there has been a continuous downward trend in the number of fatalities during the same period. A complete table of accidents, casualties and fatalities per ratio of 100,000 population and 1,000 licensed vehicles can be found in Annex D. A further analysis of traffic accidents by type of collision reveals that the trend in vehicles colliding with pedestrians dropped to an average of 324 cases per month in 2006 and accidents involving vehicles crashing into another vehicle declined to an average of 479 cases per month. Both types of collision have continued to decline year on year since 1997 (Annex E).
Apart from monitoring accident statistics, the Council also analyses accidents, including their causes and the most vulnerable groups. Pedestrians were the single most vulnerable, recording the highest number of fatalities, while the most vulnerable drivers were the relatively inexperienced ones. In the category of light goods vehicle drivers, the highest accident involvement rate was among those with 16 years of driving experience (Annexes F1 - F3).
Road Users Injured or Killed
Drivers - including motorcyclists and cyclists - accounted for the largest number of injuries and fatalities in 2006, with 8,328 casualties (44%) versus 4,233 pedestrians (23%) and 6,312 passengers (33%) (Annex G2). There were 144 fatalities versus 151 in 2005, with pedestrians continuing to be the most vulnerable group, accounting for 54% of this total. The highest number of pedestrian fatalities was among people over 60 years of age, who accounted for 33% of the total deaths. Drivers accounted for 48 fatalities (33% of the total <Motorcyclists 7%, private car drivers 8%, cyclists 6% and other vehicle drivers 13%>) and passengers for 18 deaths (13% of the total <private car passengers 8% and other vehicle passengers 5%>). These statistics can be viewed in Annex G1. A history of casualties by class of road users and age is also available in Annex H.
Vehicles Involved
Of the 22,384 vehicles involved in accidents last year, private cars continued to form the largest group. In total, accidents on Hong Kong’s roads involved 6,211 private cars, 3,744 taxis and 2,919 light goods vehicles, followed by 2,791 motorcycles and 1,952 franchised buses. The involvement rate for private cars was down by 3% over the previous year and remained the lowest at just 17.5 per 1,000 vehicles. (Annex I).
Road Conditions and Surrounding Environment
The statistics reveal that 30% of all accidents with injuries occurred at road junctions, while 22% of accidents occurred at pedestrian crossings. Some 30% of all accidents resulting in injury also occurred during the hours of darkness.
The top 5 contributory factors in accidents identified
for different types of road users groups 2006
Contributory Factor - Driver
No. of Drivers
Driving too close to vehicle in front
Lost control of vehicle
Careless lane changing Trying to avoid collision or otherwise: swerving
Starting negligently
2,096 1,452 1,119
817
549
Contributory Factor - Casualty (Driver, Passenger or Pedestrian)
No. of Casualties
Crossing road heedless of traffic (elsewhere)
Inattentive
Crossing road heedless of traffic (at crossing)
Falling inside bus/PLB (sudden stopping/starting)
Falling on stairway of bus
1,214
876
669
610
166
Contributory Factor - Vehicle
No. of Vehicles
Unidentified vehicle (hit-and-run)
Defective brake
Inadequate or no lights
Tyre blown out before impact
Defective or illegal tyre
56
45
18
16
16
Contributory Factor - Accident Environment
No. of Incidents
Slippery road (not related to weather)
Object or animal in road
Pedestrian negligence
Slippery road (caused by weather)
Obstructed road
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