The Victorian Parliamentary Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee (2005) has recently examined the problem of violence associated with motor vehicle use. Statistics on road user violence obtained from Victoria Police were examined for the period 1 July 2002 to 31 May 2004. Road user violence was defined as 'a violent offence committed by strangers based on their behaviour as drivers, cyclists or pedestrians'. The committee found that the number of recorded incidents has remained relatively stable over this period, varying between 50 and 90 incidents in any given month. The incidence of road user violence was also found to be very low compared with other crimes of violence such as assault, robbery and burglary. Any increase in the number of incidents may be accounted for by increased road user activity, rather than a net increase in these particular crimes of violence. Finally, the number of incidents of road user violence was found to be considerably smaller than the number of motor vehicle crashes that occur in Victoria.
Incidents of road user violence reported to Victoria Police, 1 July 2002-31 May 2004 [see attached PDF for graph]
Source
- Parliament of Victoria, Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee 2005, Inquiry into violence associated with motor vehicle use: final report Melbourne: Government Printer for the State of Victoria