 |
 |
|
||||||||
The Council’s programmes and direction are based on objective accident trends and causations. Traffic accident statistics and trends are therefore carefully analysed to develop and implement measures to mitigate and prevent traffic accidents.
An analysis of Hong Kong’s traffic accident statistics for 2014 reveals that 15,790 traffic accidents involved injuries, with a total of 19,854 casualties. On average, 43 traffic accidents with injuries occurred every day during the year and about two people were killed each week. Compared with the previous year, the number of accidents and the number of casualties decreased slightly by 1.86% and 3.60% respectively.
Categorising accidents by collision type reveals that in 2014 the number of vehicle collisions involving pedestrians decreased from 3,329 cases in 2013 to 3,310 cases in 2014. However, cases involving one vehicle colliding with another increased from 6,519 cases in 2013 to 6,656 cases in 2014.
While there has not been any significant change in the past decade in the number of traffic accidents involving injuries, there is a downward trend in fatalities. A total of 100 people were killed in traffic accidents in 2014, this is the lowest number recorded in Hong Kong since 1954.
The Council studies causes and consequences of traffic accidents and maintains a comprehensive traffic accident database to help formulate appropriate road safety strategies. Clearly, pedestrians consistently suffer the highest number of fatalities while private cars are the group most commonly involved in accidents. Of the 24,432 vehicles involved in traffic accidents in 2014, private cars accounted for 7,224, compared with 4,211 taxis, 2,850 public buses, 2,621 light goods vehicles, 2,576 bicycles, 2,281 motorcycles and 2,669 other vehicle types.
Statistics show that among injuries related to traffic accidents, 23% occurred at road junctions and 23% occurred at pedestrian crossings. Some 29% of traffic accidents happened at night while another 2% occurred around dawn or dusk.
Contributory Factors |
No. of Drivers |
Driving inattentively |
3,303 |
Lost control of vehicle |
1,897 |
Driving too close to vehicle in front |
1,485 |
Careless lane changing |
1,168 |
To avoid collision or otherwise: swerving/stopping suddenly |
863 |
Contributory Factors |
No. of Casualties |
Pedestrian inattentiveness |
625 |
Passenger lost balance, elsewhere except on stairway of bus |
589 |
Crossing road heedless of traffic (elsewhere) |
330 |
Passenger lost balance, on stairway of bus |
249 |
Lost balance/fell down when boarding/alighting vehicle |
200 |
Contributory Factors |
No. of Vehicles |
Unidentified vehicle (hit and run) |
162 |
Mechanical defect |
144 |
Defective or illegal tyre |
10 |
Broken down with hazard warning lights unlit |
8 |
Tyre blown out before impact |
6 |
Contributory Factors |
No. of Accidents |
Pedestrian negligence |
303 |
Object or animal in road |
143 |
Slippery road (not related to weather) |
78 |
Slippery road (caused by weather) |
70 |
Steep slope |
67 |
 |
Non-governmental Organisations |
 |
The Way Forward |
 |