Australia has just recorded its deadliest 12 months on the roads in nearly 12 years, with 1,310 deaths to 30 June according to the Australian Automobile Association (AAA).
The figure is an 11.7% increase on the previous twelve months, the latest quarterly figures show, up from 1,173 deaths in 2022-23.
The figures include a 23% surge in fatalities in New South Wales to 358 deaths and a 107.7% increase in the Northern Territory to 54 deaths. In Victoria, deaths on the road increased by 9% to 290, while they were up 8.4% in Queensland to 296, and 8.6% in South Australia to 101.
Meanwhile, deaths on the road decreased by 30.8% in Tasmania to 30 June, down to 27 fatalities, while the Australian Capital Territory recorded 20% fewer deaths, from 10 down to eight.
Fatalities on the road in Western Australia rose by one, to 176.
Road deaths have been trending upwards in recent years despite a long-term campaign to bring down fatalities, with the AAA pleading for an agreement from states and territories to collate road accident data so experts can better understand what is causing the uptick.
In its May budget, the federal government unveiled funding and plans to share the road data, but the data sharing agreement, slated to begin in July, has not yet been finalised.
Only the Queensland government has publicly agreed to provide its road safety data so far.
The AAA’s managing director, Michael Bradley, called on state and territory leaders to comply with the road trauma data sharing initiative.
“States and territories must report data they hold about the causes of crashes, the quality of roads, and the effectiveness of policing, so it can be used to produce more effective road safety interventions,” Bradley said.
“Data sharing will reveal which state’s road safety measures are the most effective, and the safety interventions that are most needed. That will not only save lives, but also end the politicisation of road funding by revealing whether governments are investing in the roads that most need safety upgrades, rather than investing in road projects in marginal electorates to win votes.”
Road safety academics have considered a range of possible factors behind the increasing road toll, including deteriorating road quality and speed limits which are too high for smaller and rural roads, as well as impatience and poor driving habits which developed on emptier streets during lockdowns.
Academics have also flagged the significant rise in SUV ownership over the past decade and their potential to lead to a sense of security which can make drivers less concerned about other road users’ safety, as well as the larger vehicles being more dangerous in collisions.
