It’s the list that no state or territory should take pride in being on and Queensland has topped it, with the Sunshine State leading Australia in terms of fatal pedestrian crashes involving children, according to findings from Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation and UNSW’s Transport and Road Safety Research Centre.
Completed with support from the Commonwealth Road Safety Innovation Fund, the findings are part of a new study aiming to address concerning statistics around child pedestrian fatalities involving children aged 0 to 14 years across two decades of data patterns from the National Coronial Information System (NCIS).
Road trauma is the leading cause of death for children aged 1 to 14 in this country[1]. On average, one child is killed in a road crash in Australia every week[2]. Most deaths of children in land transport crashes in Australia (59%) occur when they are passengers or bystanders, but a significant percentage (29%) occur when children are pedestrians[3]. Between 2001-2019, 439 children aged 0 to 14 years were killed in a pedestrian road trauma incident[4].
The NCIS data shows that Queensland accounts for 26.9% of child pedestrian fatalities within the period of analysis. New South Wales isn’t far behind, reporting 25.5% of the tragic incidents, followed by Victoria (21.1%), Western Australia (13.1%), South Australia (8%), the Northern Territory (3%), Tasmania (2.1%) and the ACT (0.2%).
“Our findings show that QLD and NSW in particular must urgently act to address this national crisis. But no state or territory is in the position to sit idly by. The numbers suggest that child pedestrian fatalities are over-represented in QLD, NT, SA and WA, with the percentage of child pedestrian fatality cases in each being higher than the percentage of children zero to fourteen years of age in these jurisdictions,” said Emeritus Professor Ann Williamson, of the UNSW’s Transport and Road Safety Research Centre.
Aussie mum Michelle McLaughlin is the driving force behind the report. She and husband David founded Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation to campaign for children’s road safety after the tragic loss of their four-year-old son, Tom (pictured above), in a pedestrian road crash in 2014. Since then, Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation has been working on community education and effective road safety initiatives, including distinctive signage around playgrounds and busy roads.
“Many families are not aware that the issue of child road trauma is as serious as it is across Australia. The heartbreaking fact is that children unfortunately make up a sizable percentage of pedestrians killed or seriously injured in road accidents,” said Michelle. “They are more vulnerable due to their cognitive and perceptual limitations, while their physical stature makes them more susceptible to serious head injury.”
The findings are also prompting a call out of LGAs across the country that have the highest incidents of child pedestrian fatalities in Australia. Of the top 6 LGAs recording fatal pedestrian incidents involving children nationally, 5 are in QLD–Brisbane is at the top with the highest number of child pedestrian fatalities, followed by Logan and then Cairns, along with the Gold Coast and Moreton Bay. Overall, 7 QLD LGAs are listed. There are 6 NSW LGAs on the list, with Cumberland, Parramatta, Central Coast, Canterbury-Bankstown, Georges River and Campbelltown also listed. Additionally, 2 Victorian LGAs round out the list – Casey and Whittlesea.
Top LGAs by Total Pedestrian Incidents
| LGA | State | Total | Per 100k | Most Common Age |
| Brisbane (C) | QLD | 16 | 0.4 | 0-4 |
| Logan (C) | QLD | 11 | 0.8 | 0-4 |
| Cairns (R) | QLD | 7 | 1.1 | 0-4 |
| Cumberland (A) | NSW | 7 | 0.8 | 0-4 |
| Gold Coast (C) | QLD | 7 | 0.4 | 0-4 |
| Moreton Bay (R) | QLD | 7 | 0.4 | 0-4 |
| Parramatta (C) | NSW | 6 | 0.8 | 5-9 |
| Central Coast (C) (NSW) | NSW | 6 | 0.5 | 0-4 |
| Casey (C) | VIC | 6 | 0.5 | 0-4 |
| Canterbury-Bankstown (A) | NSW | 6 | 0.4 | 5-9 |
| Mackay (R) | QLD | 5 | 1.1 | 0-4 |
| Georges River (A) | NSW | 5 | 1.0 | 5-9 |
| Campbelltown (C) (NSW) | NSW | 5 | 0.7 | 10-14 |
| Whittlesea (C) | VIC | 5 | 0.7 | 0-4 |
| Ipswich (C) | QLD | 5 | 0.6 | 10-14 |
Table 1: Number and percentage of child pedestrian fatalities 2001 to 2019 by State
The ABS annotation for official LGA status are: (C), Cities; (A), Areas; (R), Regional Council; (T), Town; (DC), District Council; (S), Shire
A list of 20 LGAs with the highest number of fatal road incidents, beyond just pedestrian incidents, shows further interesting statistics. The top 10 LGAs on the list account for 153 incidents, each experiencing more than 11 incidents during the analysed period. Pedestrian incidents were the most common type in the majority of these LGAs, accounting for 105 incidents. Brisbane again topped the list for incidents, with 4 QLD LGAs at the top of the list and 11 listed in total. NSW accounted for 6 LGAs on the list, Victoria for 2 and the NT for 1.
Top 20 LGAs by Total Incidents
| LGA | State | Total | Per 100k | Most Common Age | Most Common Mode of Transport During Incident |
| Brisbane (C) | QLD | 24 | 0.6 | 0-4 | Pedestrian |
| Mackay (R) | QLD | 20 | 4.3 | 0-4 | Light Vehicle |
| Logan (C) | QLD | 17 | 1.3 | 0-4 | Pedestrian |
| Gold Coast (C) | QLD | 17 | 0.9 | 0-4 | Pedestrian |
| Mid-Coast (A) | NSW | 16 | 5.3 | 10-14 | Light Vehicle |
| Moreton Bay (R) | QLD | 14 | 0.8 | 0-4 | Pedestrian |
| Casey (C) | VIC | 12 | 1.0 | 0-4 | Light Vehicle |
| Cairns (R) | QLD | 11 | 1.8 | 0-4 | Pedestrian |
| Parramatta (C) | NSW | 11 | 1.5 | 5-9 | Pedestrian |
| Central Coast (C) (NSW) | NSW | 11 | 0.9 | 5-9 | Pedestrian |
| Ipswich (C) | QLD | 10 | 1.2 | 10-14 | Pedestrian |
| Sunshine Coast (R) | QLD | 10 | 1.0 | 5-9 | Light Vehicle |
| Katherine (T) | NT | 9 | 18.0 | 0-4 | Light Vehicle |
| Fraser Coast (R) | QLD | 9 | 2.6 | 10-14 | Light Vehicle |
| Melton (C) | VIC | 9 | 1.7 | 10-14 | Pedestrian |
| Cumberland (A) | NSW | 9 | 1.1 | 0-4 | Pedestrian |
| Liverpool (C) | NSW | 9 | 1.0 | 10-14 | Light Vehicle |
| Blacktown (C) | NSW | 9 | 0.6 | 0-4 | Pedestrian |
| Isaac (R) | QLD | 8 | 7.5 | 10-14 | Light Vehicle |
| Whitsunday (R) | QLD | 8 | 6.7 | 10-14 | Light Vehicle |
Table 2: Number and percentage of child road fatalities 2001 to 2019 by State
The ABS annotation for official LGA status are: (C), Cities; (A), Areas; (R), Regional Council; (T), Town; (DC), District Council; (S), Shire.
“Rates of fatalities have not changed much over the last twenty years. We must work together to address this issue, starting at the grassroots level with support for safety and prevention strategies in our LGAs,” said Michelle. “Our research into the data, particularly around child pedestrian fatalities, can inform these strategies. It indicates that while emphasis should be on effective education and awareness for children, parents, carers and the wider community, eyes on active supervision is imperative, so hold their hands near roadways and driveways.”
Read the full analysis of findings here. A second report released alongside the findings has identified more detailed patterns in the circumstances and causes of fatal pedestrian crashes involving children. Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation campaigns and signage are now in place in 75 LGAs across the country. For more information on The Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation, please visit here.