For every 100 hospitalised casualties, police reported 115 serious injuries - serious injuries do not always result in hospitalisation. The reporting ratio that was achieved is a more accurate reflection of the true level of serious road trauma. Over the same period, the number of crash casualty hospital admissions was stable, indicating that the actual level of road trauma had not risen, and the significant increase in reported injuries was attributable to improved reporting. Figure 5.1 shows how Otago and Southland police reporting of serious injuries improved between 1997 and 2002.