New stats show the rate of road deaths involving heavy rigid trucks around Australia.

The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics’ (BITRE) Fatal Heavy Vehicle Crashes – Quarterly Bulletins for September show no change in September 2015 compared to the 82 road deaths reported in September 2014.

The new figures show fatal crashes are up by an average of 1.6 per cent each year for the three years to this September.

Eighty-two people died in 73 crashes involving heavy rigid trucks over the last year.

South Australia reported the biggest increase in such events, increasing by 25 per cent, while Western Australia saw a decrease of 26.7 per cent.

In the last three years, South Australia has seen a 33.4 per cent increase in accidents involving heavy rigid trucks.

Queensland’s rate declined by 20.5 per cent for the same period.

The number of deaths involved in articulated truck crashes is down by 15.2 per cent in the last year, linked largely to a 100 per cent fall in the Northern Territory.

The nationwide quarterly number of deaths in articulated truck crashes has dropped by 8.3 per cent from September 2013 to September this year..

BITRE figures say 67 drivers died from articulated truck crashes in the past year, as well as 20 passengers, seven pedestrians, six motorcyclists and two bike riders.