Wolf Avni/Shutterstock

Last year, 1,266 Australians died from road accidents involving at least one car and a driver, passenger, pedestrian or cyclist. The economic cost of Australian road trauma exceeds A$27 billion each year. That’s 1.8% of Australia’s GDP.

Australia has committed to an ambitious target of zero road deaths by 2050, known as Vision Zero. Originating in Sweden in the late 1990s, Vision Zero is based on a simple principle: no loss of life or serious injury on roads is acceptable.

But while we were making good progress at reducing road trauma, this has stalled in recent years, with Australian road deaths rising to levels not seen in nearly a decade.

​

If the current trend continues, meeting the Vision Zero target by 2050 appears impossible. So what’s going wrong?

Progress and setbacks​

The journey towards reducing road trauma has had both progress and setbacks. In the early 1990s, roads were claiming more than 2,000 lives in Australia each year.

Over the years, we managed to significantly reduce this number. By 2020, the annual road toll had dropped to around 1,097, almost halving the figure from three decades prior.

However, recently, we’ve witnessed a worrying reversal: three consecutive years of increasing road deaths.

In 2023, 1,266 people died in Australian road accidents. Australian Road Deaths Database​

With more progress, it gets harder to improve​

Over the years, through various safety initiatives and public awareness campaigns, we managed to significantly reduce road trauma. This includes measures such as seatbelt, helmet and child-seat laws, as well as regulations around speeding, drink-driving and phone use.

We also have safer cars and infrastructure now. Modern car features and technologies – such as auto-emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind spot monitoring and airbags – are associated with a lower risk of road accidents and fatalities.

With the significant benefits we have gained from these measures, additional safety measures will naturally lead to smaller improvements. But the toll is actually worsening.

What role did the pandemic play?​

For the first time in decades, we’ve seen a sustained increase in road deaths in Australia and other countries such as the United States.

During the pandemic, more people bought cars, perhaps to avoid public transport.

However, this alone doesn’t fully explain the rise in road deaths. With more people working from home, there has been a reduction in daily commutes. Plus, the increase in the number of vehicles has been modest relative to the rise in road deaths.

This shows the number of road deaths in Australia normalised by the population size (left) and the number of registered vehicles (right). Australian Road Deaths Database​

So the assumption that more people are dying because there are more cars is, at best, a partial explanation.

Risky driving behaviours​

The post-pandemic data shows several indicators of declining road user behaviour and attitudes.

In New South Wales, for example, there has been a substantial increase in fines for minor speeding offences.

Across Australia, the number of fatal crashes in 60–70 km/h zones has been rising, from 241 associated deaths in 2020 to 315 in 2022. Speeding is likely to play a role, but it’s unclear to what extent.

This shows the number of road deaths in different speed limit areas. Australian Road Deaths Database​

Remote and regional roads still pose a significantly higher risk of death, relative to their population. The road death risk is about six times higher in outer regional areas and nine times higher in remote areas compared to major cities.

This could be due to a number of factors: speeding, risk-taking behaviours and others such as poorer infrastructure, lower levels of enforcement, collisions with wildlife, long-trips and driver fatigue.

This shows the relative risk of death, based on the remoteness of the road. Australian Road Deaths Database​

Deadly crashes involving drivers without valid licences have also risen. In 2019, 96 deaths were reported in crashes involving operators without a valid licence. This rose to 116 in 2020 and 128 in 2021.

The number of road deaths involving a cyclist or motorcyclist not wearing a helmet was 19 in 2019, but it jumped to 28 in 2020 and 2021, a 47% increase.

The proportion of road deaths with drugs detected in the operator’s system has been rising, from 14% for drivers and 11% for motorcyclists in 2015. In 2021, these numbers rose to 17% for drivers and 28% for motorcyclists.

Another worrying trend is the increased risk of road death for the 17–25 age group. This age group is now at the highest risk of fatality on our roads, surpassing the over-75 age group.

Too many young people are dying in road accidents. Rusty Toadro/Shutterstock​

Improving road safety​

For the foreseeable future, human drivers will continue to be the primary operators of vehicles, and human factors remain the biggest contributor to road trauma.

When it comes to saving lives on the roads, we need to monitor attitudes to road safety. One way is through regular surveys at state and national levels, tracking scores of behavioural indicators over time. Much like political parties using ongoing polls to track the political climate, regular tracking of the community road safety climate allows us to proactively address challenges emerging from user behaviour, rather than waiting for alarming statistics.

Australia has some of the most progressive road safety policies globally. But our ambitious targets demands focusing more on user behaviour. Road safety campaigns, delivered via TV and other media, can influence road safety behaviours, with tailored campaigns targeting the specific demographics and behaviours of concern. Intensifying investment in these campaigns could be a key strategy in achieving our road safety goals.

This article was first published on The Conversation, and was written by , Milad Haghani, Senior Lecturer of Urban Mobility, Public Safety & Disaster Risk, UNSW Sydney

 

[IanB.]

Wolf Avni/Shutterstock

Last year, 1,266 Australians died from road accidents involving at least one car and a driver, passenger, pedestrian or cyclist. The economic cost of Australian road trauma exceeds A$27 billion each year. That’s 1.8% of Australia’s GDP.

Australia has committed to an ambitious target of zero road deaths by 2050, known as Vision Zero. Originating in Sweden in the late 1990s, Vision Zero is based on a simple principle: no loss of life or serious injury on roads is acceptable.

But while we were making good progress at reducing road trauma, this has stalled in recent years, with Australian road deaths rising to levels not seen in nearly a decade.

​

If the current trend continues, meeting the Vision Zero target by 2050 appears impossible. So what’s going wrong?

Progress and setbacks​

The journey towards reducing road trauma has had both progress and setbacks. In the early 1990s, roads were claiming more than 2,000 lives in Australia each year.

Over the years, we managed to significantly reduce this number. By 2020, the annual road toll had dropped to around 1,097, almost halving the figure from three decades prior.

However, recently, we’ve witnessed a worrying reversal: three consecutive years of increasing road deaths.

In 2023, 1,266 people died in Australian road accidents. Australian Road Deaths Database

With more progress, it gets harder to improve​

Over the years, through various safety initiatives and public awareness campaigns, we managed to significantly reduce road trauma. This includes measures such as seatbelt, helmet and child-seat laws, as well as regulations around speeding, drink-driving and phone use.

We also have safer cars and infrastructure now. Modern car features and technologies – such as auto-emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind spot monitoring and airbags – are associated with a lower risk of road accidents and fatalities.

With the significant benefits we have gained from these measures, additional safety measures will naturally lead to smaller improvements. But the toll is actually worsening.

What role did the pandemic play?​

For the first time in decades, we’ve seen a sustained increase in road deaths in Australia and other countries such as the United States.

During the pandemic, more people bought cars, perhaps to avoid public transport.

However, this alone doesn’t fully explain the rise in road deaths. With more people working from home, there has been a reduction in daily commutes. Plus, the increase in the number of vehicles has been modest relative to the rise in road deaths.

This shows the number of road deaths in Australia normalised by the population size (left) and the number of registered vehicles (right). Australian Road Deaths Database

So the assumption that more people are dying because there are more cars is, at best, a partial explanation.

Risky driving behaviours​

The post-pandemic data shows several indicators of declining road user behaviour and attitudes.

In New South Wales, for example, there has been a substantial increase in fines for minor speeding offences.

Across Australia, the number of fatal crashes in 60–70 km/h zones has been rising, from 241 associated deaths in 2020 to 315 in 2022. Speeding is likely to play a role, but it’s unclear to what extent.

This shows the number of road deaths in different speed limit areas. Australian Road Deaths Database

Remote and regional roads still pose a significantly higher risk of death, relative to their population. The road death risk is about six times higher in outer regional areas and nine times higher in remote areas compared to major cities.

This could be due to a number of factors: speeding, risk-taking behaviours and others such as poorer infrastructure, lower levels of enforcement, collisions with wildlife, long-trips and driver fatigue.

This shows the relative risk of death, based on the remoteness of the road. Australian Road Deaths Database

Deadly crashes involving drivers without valid licences have also risen. In 2019, 96 deaths were reported in crashes involving operators without a valid licence. This rose to 116 in 2020 and 128 in 2021.

The number of road deaths involving a cyclist or motorcyclist not wearing a helmet was 19 in 2019, but it jumped to 28 in 2020 and 2021, a 47% increase.

The proportion of road deaths with drugs detected in the operator’s system has been rising, from 14% for drivers and 11% for motorcyclists in 2015. In 2021, these numbers rose to 17% for drivers and 28% for motorcyclists.

Another worrying trend is the increased risk of road death for the 17–25 age group. This age group is now at the highest risk of fatality on our roads, surpassing the over-75 age group.

Too many young people are dying in road accidents. Rusty Toadro/Shutterstock

Improving road safety​

For the foreseeable future, human drivers will continue to be the primary operators of vehicles, and human factors remain the biggest contributor to road trauma.

When it comes to saving lives on the roads, we need to monitor attitudes to road safety. One way is through regular surveys at state and national levels, tracking scores of behavioural indicators over time. Much like political parties using ongoing polls to track the political climate, regular tracking of the community road safety climate allows us to proactively address challenges emerging from user behaviour, rather than waiting for alarming statistics.

Australia has some of the most progressive road safety policies globally. But our ambitious targets demands focusing more on user behaviour. Road safety campaigns, delivered via TV and other media, can influence road safety behaviours, with tailored campaigns targeting the specific demographics and behaviours of concern. Intensifying investment in these campaigns could be a key strategy in achieving our road safety goals.

This article was first published on The Conversation, and was written by , Milad Haghani, Senior Lecturer of Urban Mobility, Public Safety & Disaster Risk, UNSW Sydney

Wolf Avni/Shutterstock

Last year, 1,266 Australians died from road accidents involving at least one car and a driver, passenger, pedestrian or cyclist. The economic cost of Australian road trauma exceeds A$27 billion each year. That’s 1.8% of Australia’s GDP.

Australia has committed to an ambitious target of zero road deaths by 2050, known as Vision Zero. Originating in Sweden in the late 1990s, Vision Zero is based on a simple principle: no loss of life or serious injury on roads is acceptable.

But while we were making good progress at reducing road trauma, this has stalled in recent years, with Australian road deaths rising to levels not seen in nearly a decade.

​

If the current trend continues, meeting the Vision Zero target by 2050 appears impossible. So what’s going wrong?

Progress and setbacks​

The journey towards reducing road trauma has had both progress and setbacks. In the early 1990s, roads were claiming more than 2,000 lives in Australia each year.

Over the years, we managed to significantly reduce this number. By 2020, the annual road toll had dropped to around 1,097, almost halving the figure from three decades prior.

However, recently, we’ve witnessed a worrying reversal: three consecutive years of increasing road deaths.

In 2023, 1,266 people died in Australian road accidents. Australian Road Deaths Database

With more progress, it gets harder to improve​

Over the years, through various safety initiatives and public awareness campaigns, we managed to significantly reduce road trauma. This includes measures such as seatbelt, helmet and child-seat laws, as well as regulations around speeding, drink-driving and phone use.

We also have safer cars and infrastructure now. Modern car features and technologies – such as auto-emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind spot monitoring and airbags – are associated with a lower risk of road accidents and fatalities.

With the significant benefits we have gained from these measures, additional safety measures will naturally lead to smaller improvements. But the toll is actually worsening.

What role did the pandemic play?​

For the first time in decades, we’ve seen a sustained increase in road deaths in Australia and other countries such as the United States.

During the pandemic, more people bought cars, perhaps to avoid public transport.

However, this alone doesn’t fully explain the rise in road deaths. With more people working from home, there has been a reduction in daily commutes. Plus, the increase in the number of vehicles has been modest relative to the rise in road deaths.

This shows the number of road deaths in Australia normalised by the population size (left) and the number of registered vehicles (right). Australian Road Deaths Database

So the assumption that more people are dying because there are more cars is, at best, a partial explanation.

Risky driving behaviours​

The post-pandemic data shows several indicators of declining road user behaviour and attitudes.

In New South Wales, for example, there has been a substantial increase in fines for minor speeding offences.

Across Australia, the number of fatal crashes in 60–70 km/h zones has been rising, from 241 associated deaths in 2020 to 315 in 2022. Speeding is likely to play a role, but it’s unclear to what extent.

This shows the number of road deaths in different speed limit areas. Australian Road Deaths Database

Remote and regional roads still pose a significantly higher risk of death, relative to their population. The road death risk is about six times higher in outer regional areas and nine times higher in remote areas compared to major cities.

This could be due to a number of factors: speeding, risk-taking behaviours and others such as poorer infrastructure, lower levels of enforcement, collisions with wildlife, long-trips and driver fatigue.

This shows the relative risk of death, based on the remoteness of the road. Australian Road Deaths Database

Deadly crashes involving drivers without valid licences have also risen. In 2019, 96 deaths were reported in crashes involving operators without a valid licence. This rose to 116 in 2020 and 128 in 2021.

The number of road deaths involving a cyclist or motorcyclist not wearing a helmet was 19 in 2019, but it jumped to 28 in 2020 and 2021, a 47% increase.

The proportion of road deaths with drugs detected in the operator’s system has been rising, from 14% for drivers and 11% for motorcyclists in 2015. In 2021, these numbers rose to 17% for drivers and 28% for motorcyclists.

Another worrying trend is the increased risk of road death for the 17–25 age group. This age group is now at the highest risk of fatality on our roads, surpassing the over-75 age group.

Too many young people are dying in road accidents. Rusty Toadro/Shutterstock

Improving road safety​

For the foreseeable future, human drivers will continue to be the primary operators of vehicles, and human factors remain the biggest contributor to road trauma.

When it comes to saving lives on the roads, we need to monitor attitudes to road safety. One way is through regular surveys at state and national levels, tracking scores of behavioural indicators over time. Much like political parties using ongoing polls to track the political climate, regular tracking of the community road safety climate allows us to proactively address challenges emerging from user behaviour, rather than waiting for alarming statistics.

Australia has some of the most progressive road safety policies globally. But our ambitious targets demands focusing more on user behaviour. Road safety campaigns, delivered via TV and other media, can influence road safety behaviours, with tailored campaigns targeting the specific demographics and behaviours of concern. Intensifying investment in these campaigns could be a key strategy in achieving our road safety goals.

This article was first published on The Conversation, and was written by , Milad Haghani, Senior Lecturer of Urban Mobility, Public Safety & Disaster Risk, UNSW Sydney

"If not, what's holding us back?" IDIOTS!
But ; your figures don't go back far enough . Check up the something like 3000 deaths pa in 1960/70 before breathalyzer and .08
The best thing about Electric cars is there will be no voom voom noise factor --- it's seems the louder the exhaust note the fast they want to drive it

And before all the old farts start going off ; just remember we were all young and stupid once upon a time .

 

[Mrtnst]

There were road deaths long before motor vehicles were invented. They had them before Rome was built.

Road deaths still occurred when people walked in front of motor vehicles waiving a red flag.

My 'guess' would be... No, it's not possible to get to zero deaths on the roads.

Which is part of the problem.

When you set clearly unreasonable targets (no matter how noble your goals) you lose credibility with people.

It turns your whole campaign into a meaningless virtue signal and people think that you have ulterior motives.

 

[Jack Hammer]

Wolf Avni/Shutterstock

Last year, 1,266 Australians died from road accidents involving at least one car and a driver, passenger, pedestrian or cyclist. The economic cost of Australian road trauma exceeds A$27 billion each year. That’s 1.8% of Australia’s GDP.

Australia has committed to an ambitious target of zero road deaths by 2050, known as Vision Zero. Originating in Sweden in the late 1990s, Vision Zero is based on a simple principle: no loss of life or serious injury on roads is acceptable.

But while we were making good progress at reducing road trauma, this has stalled in recent years, with Australian road deaths rising to levels not seen in nearly a decade.

​

If the current trend continues, meeting the Vision Zero target by 2050 appears impossible. So what’s going wrong?

Progress and setbacks​

The journey towards reducing road trauma has had both progress and setbacks. In the early 1990s, roads were claiming more than 2,000 lives in Australia each year.

Over the years, we managed to significantly reduce this number. By 2020, the annual road toll had dropped to around 1,097, almost halving the figure from three decades prior.

However, recently, we’ve witnessed a worrying reversal: three consecutive years of increasing road deaths.

In 2023, 1,266 people died in Australian road accidents. Australian Road Deaths Database

With more progress, it gets harder to improve​

Over the years, through various safety initiatives and public awareness campaigns, we managed to significantly reduce road trauma. This includes measures such as seatbelt, helmet and child-seat laws, as well as regulations around speeding, drink-driving and phone use.

We also have safer cars and infrastructure now. Modern car features and technologies – such as auto-emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind spot monitoring and airbags – are associated with a lower risk of road accidents and fatalities.

With the significant benefits we have gained from these measures, additional safety measures will naturally lead to smaller improvements. But the toll is actually worsening.

What role did the pandemic play?​

For the first time in decades, we’ve seen a sustained increase in road deaths in Australia and other countries such as the United States.

During the pandemic, more people bought cars, perhaps to avoid public transport.

However, this alone doesn’t fully explain the rise in road deaths. With more people working from home, there has been a reduction in daily commutes. Plus, the increase in the number of vehicles has been modest relative to the rise in road deaths.

This shows the number of road deaths in Australia normalised by the population size (left) and the number of registered vehicles (right). Australian Road Deaths Database

So the assumption that more people are dying because there are more cars is, at best, a partial explanation.

Risky driving behaviours​

The post-pandemic data shows several indicators of declining road user behaviour and attitudes.

In New South Wales, for example, there has been a substantial increase in fines for minor speeding offences.

Across Australia, the number of fatal crashes in 60–70 km/h zones has been rising, from 241 associated deaths in 2020 to 315 in 2022. Speeding is likely to play a role, but it’s unclear to what extent.

This shows the number of road deaths in different speed limit areas. Australian Road Deaths Database

Remote and regional roads still pose a significantly higher risk of death, relative to their population. The road death risk is about six times higher in outer regional areas and nine times higher in remote areas compared to major cities.

This could be due to a number of factors: speeding, risk-taking behaviours and others such as poorer infrastructure, lower levels of enforcement, collisions with wildlife, long-trips and driver fatigue.

This shows the relative risk of death, based on the remoteness of the road. Australian Road Deaths Database

Deadly crashes involving drivers without valid licences have also risen. In 2019, 96 deaths were reported in crashes involving operators without a valid licence. This rose to 116 in 2020 and 128 in 2021.

The number of road deaths involving a cyclist or motorcyclist not wearing a helmet was 19 in 2019, but it jumped to 28 in 2020 and 2021, a 47% increase.

The proportion of road deaths with drugs detected in the operator’s system has been rising, from 14% for drivers and 11% for motorcyclists in 2015. In 2021, these numbers rose to 17% for drivers and 28% for motorcyclists.

Another worrying trend is the increased risk of road death for the 17–25 age group. This age group is now at the highest risk of fatality on our roads, surpassing the over-75 age group.

Too many young people are dying in road accidents. Rusty Toadro/Shutterstock

Improving road safety​

For the foreseeable future, human drivers will continue to be the primary operators of vehicles, and human factors remain the biggest contributor to road trauma.

When it comes to saving lives on the roads, we need to monitor attitudes to road safety. One way is through regular surveys at state and national levels, tracking scores of behavioural indicators over time. Much like political parties using ongoing polls to track the political climate, regular tracking of the community road safety climate allows us to proactively address challenges emerging from user behaviour, rather than waiting for alarming statistics.

Australia has some of the most progressive road safety policies globally. But our ambitious targets demands focusing more on user behaviour. Road safety campaigns, delivered via TV and other media, can influence road safety behaviours, with tailored campaigns targeting the specific demographics and behaviours of concern. Intensifying investment in these campaigns could be a key strategy in achieving our road safety goals.

This article was first published on The Conversation, and was written by , Milad Haghani, Senior Lecturer of Urban Mobility, Public Safety & Disaster Risk, UNSW Sydney

The only way that you could cut the road toll to zero would be to have 100% autonomous vehicles. The vehicles would have to be speed limited to the exact speed limit and governed electronically to totally eliminate any type of speeding within all speed zones. Whilst ever there is a human being in control of a motor vehicle there will invariably be accidents due to loss of concentration because of distractions like phones or even just something that grabs the driver’s eye for a second. I drive a heavy vehicle for a living and the amount of stupid unsafe incidents I see on a daily basis is quite frankly staggering. The percentage of p plate drivers using mobile phones whilst driving is frightening and even open class license holders using phones is high. I know this sounds extreme but I would support a three month suspension of driving as a first offence for motorists caught using a mobile phone whilst driving. We all want to travel safely and arrive at our destinations safely and I personally feel mobile phones and speeding are probably the two biggest causes of accidents

 

[terri]

Not likely. You only have to spend some time driving on freeways (I'm in Melboure) and the way some people drive is absolutely astounding. They dont cause accidents but only out of good luck, not good driving.

 

[Mrtnst]

The only way that you could cut the road toll to zero would be to have 100% autonomous vehicles. The vehicles would have to be speed limited to the exact speed limit and governed electronically to totally eliminate any type of speeding within all speed zones. Whilst ever there is a human being in control of a motor vehicle there will invariably be accidents due to loss of concentration because of distractions like phones or even just something that grabs the driver’s eye for a second. I drive a heavy vehicle for a living and the amount of stupid unsafe incidents I see on a daily basis is quite frankly staggering. The percentage of p plate drivers using mobile phones whilst driving is frightening and even open class license holders using phones is high. I know this sounds extreme but I would support a three month suspension of driving as a first offence for motorists caught using a mobile phone whilst driving. We all want to travel safely and arrive at our destinations safely and I personally feel mobile phones and speeding are probably the two biggest causes of accidents

I agree with the spirit of your post. But even automated cars, trucks and buses won't work.

Idiots on push bikes, e-scooters, mobility vehicles and even on foot will still use their god given gift of creative stupidity to get themselves and others killed.

 

[mark godwin]

Wolf Avni/Shutterstock

Last year, 1,266 Australians died from road accidents involving at least one car and a driver, passenger, pedestrian or cyclist. The economic cost of Australian road trauma exceeds A$27 billion each year. That’s 1.8% of Australia’s GDP.

Australia has committed to an ambitious target of zero road deaths by 2050, known as Vision Zero. Originating in Sweden in the late 1990s, Vision Zero is based on a simple principle: no loss of life or serious injury on roads is acceptable.

But while we were making good progress at reducing road trauma, this has stalled in recent years, with Australian road deaths rising to levels not seen in nearly a decade.

​

If the current trend continues, meeting the Vision Zero target by 2050 appears impossible. So what’s going wrong?

Progress and setbacks​

The journey towards reducing road trauma has had both progress and setbacks. In the early 1990s, roads were claiming more than 2,000 lives in Australia each year.

Over the years, we managed to significantly reduce this number. By 2020, the annual road toll had dropped to around 1,097, almost halving the figure from three decades prior.

However, recently, we’ve witnessed a worrying reversal: three consecutive years of increasing road deaths.

In 2023, 1,266 people died in Australian road accidents. Australian Road Deaths Database​

With more progress, it gets harder to improve​

Over the years, through various safety initiatives and public awareness campaigns, we managed to significantly reduce road trauma. This includes measures such as seatbelt, helmet and child-seat laws, as well as regulations around speeding, drink-driving and phone use.

We also have safer cars and infrastructure now. Modern car features and technologies – such as auto-emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind spot monitoring and airbags – are associated with a lower risk of road accidents and fatalities.

With the significant benefits we have gained from these measures, additional safety measures will naturally lead to smaller improvements. But the toll is actually worsening.

What role did the pandemic play?​

For the first time in decades, we’ve seen a sustained increase in road deaths in Australia and other countries such as the United States.

During the pandemic, more people bought cars, perhaps to avoid public transport.

However, this alone doesn’t fully explain the rise in road deaths. With more people working from home, there has been a reduction in daily commutes. Plus, the increase in the number of vehicles has been modest relative to the rise in road deaths.

This shows the number of road deaths in Australia normalised by the population size (left) and the number of registered vehicles (right). Australian Road Deaths Database​

So the assumption that more people are dying because there are more cars is, at best, a partial explanation.

Risky driving behaviours​

The post-pandemic data shows several indicators of declining road user behaviour and attitudes.

In New South Wales, for example, there has been a substantial increase in fines for minor speeding offences.

Across Australia, the number of fatal crashes in 60–70 km/h zones has been rising, from 241 associated deaths in 2020 to 315 in 2022. Speeding is likely to play a role, but it’s unclear to what extent.

This shows the number of road deaths in different speed limit areas. Australian Road Deaths Database​

Remote and regional roads still pose a significantly higher risk of death, relative to their population. The road death risk is about six times higher in outer regional areas and nine times higher in remote areas compared to major cities.

This could be due to a number of factors: speeding, risk-taking behaviours and others such as poorer infrastructure, lower levels of enforcement, collisions with wildlife, long-trips and driver fatigue.

This shows the relative risk of death, based on the remoteness of the road. Australian Road Deaths Database​

Deadly crashes involving drivers without valid licences have also risen. In 2019, 96 deaths were reported in crashes involving operators without a valid licence. This rose to 116 in 2020 and 128 in 2021.

The number of road deaths involving a cyclist or motorcyclist not wearing a helmet was 19 in 2019, but it jumped to 28 in 2020 and 2021, a 47% increase.

The proportion of road deaths with drugs detected in the operator’s system has been rising, from 14% for drivers and 11% for motorcyclists in 2015. In 2021, these numbers rose to 17% for drivers and 28% for motorcyclists.

Another worrying trend is the increased risk of road death for the 17–25 age group. This age group is now at the highest risk of fatality on our roads, surpassing the over-75 age group.

Too many young people are dying in road accidents. Rusty Toadro/Shutterstock​

Improving road safety​

For the foreseeable future, human drivers will continue to be the primary operators of vehicles, and human factors remain the biggest contributor to road trauma.

When it comes to saving lives on the roads, we need to monitor attitudes to road safety. One way is through regular surveys at state and national levels, tracking scores of behavioural indicators over time. Much like political parties using ongoing polls to track the political climate, regular tracking of the community road safety climate allows us to proactively address challenges emerging from user behaviour, rather than waiting for alarming statistics.

Australia has some of the most progressive road safety policies globally. But our ambitious targets demands focusing more on user behaviour. Road safety campaigns, delivered via TV and other media, can influence road safety behaviours, with tailored campaigns targeting the specific demographics and behaviours of concern. Intensifying investment in these campaigns could be a key strategy in achieving our road safety goals.

This article was first published on The Conversation, and was written by , Milad Haghani, Senior Lecturer of Urban Mobility, Public Safety & Disaster Risk, UNSW Sydney

1936 1,350 deaths with far fewer cars and people !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[mick.idgaf]

It would be nice if we lived in a perfect world, but we do not. Accidents will always happen with cars, because we are always in a hurry. get easily distracted by other things. It does not matter how much protection is put in cars, or the speed we travel at, software glitches from car computers not being tested to be 100% foolproof, as that is impossible. The statistics we look at now days is also flawed, because the Statisticians are not God, do not know, the Weather conditions, the number of cars on the road at any given time, the population has always been increasing, the road conditions etc. These autonomous vehicles will make humans lazier and more distracted, rather than keep their eyes on the road.

 

[SGH]

When they dont wear helmet or seat belts etc. to me this death by suicide. The amount of riders I see without protective gear is beyond me, this also applies to cyclist, who we have to give 1.5m of space when passing even if it means crossing onto the wrong side of the road. And as for the P platers I stunned at the amount of them that overtake me when I'm driving.
And the phones, who can afford a $1200 fine these days but you still see them playing with them and texting. What the hell for, really how did we manage all those years ago when we were driving from A to B and all we had to listen to was the radio or a cassette. I like my quiet time in my car with no distractions, maybe some old music whilst I sit in the M5 or M1 carparks on the way home, but I never get the need or even think, oh wait I should get my phone out and call someone while I am waiting. And it is not just young people either there are a few older people who seem to have a problem keeping their hands on the steering wheel too.

 

[mylittletibbies]

I used to travel the Mitchell Freeway north to visit my son in Butler (WA)
where they have been doing roadworks for so long it's beyond funny
The speed limit in these areas is reduced to 80 and I swear every other idiot on the road is still doing 110.

Guess they've never heard it's better to be late Mr Smith than THE late Mister Smith.

Even in the country where I live now people have sped up to 110 before they have passed the 50 and 80 speed areas leading out of town. Once they get to the 110 speed limit they push it out to 120, 130 or even more and it's not just the young ones. No wonder country road deaths are so high.

Why are people in such a hurry to be the first in the graveyard.

 

[Ezzy]

Automated cars sounds good in theory but l believe these need to be completely automated.

Instead of building a vehicle which will alert a driver who is wandering from their lane etc., why not a device which will stop a vehicle in time to avoid a side crash (avoid a T bone) with another vehicle, a rear end crash or stop a vehicle which should stop at a traffic light, rather than let it run through, an amber light???

At traffic lights a sensor in the road could talk to a sensor in the car. Beside avoiding amber or red light runners it would stop T Bone crashes here too.

The next step is to stop pedestrians doing stupid manoeuvres at traffic lights. (gates similar to railway crossings, but pop-up out of the paving, perhaps?).

 

[Rob44]

Wolf Avni/Shutterstock

Last year, 1,266 Australians died from road accidents involving at least one car and a driver, passenger, pedestrian or cyclist. The economic cost of Australian road trauma exceeds A$27 billion each year. That’s 1.8% of Australia’s GDP.

Australia has committed to an ambitious target of zero road deaths by 2050, known as Vision Zero. Originating in Sweden in the late 1990s, Vision Zero is based on a simple principle: no loss of life or serious injury on roads is acceptable.

But while we were making good progress at reducing road trauma, this has stalled in recent years, with Australian road deaths rising to levels not seen in nearly a decade.

​

If the current trend continues, meeting the Vision Zero target by 2050 appears impossible. So what’s going wrong?

Progress and setbacks​

The journey towards reducing road trauma has had both progress and setbacks. In the early 1990s, roads were claiming more than 2,000 lives in Australia each year.

Over the years, we managed to significantly reduce this number. By 2020, the annual road toll had dropped to around 1,097, almost halving the figure from three decades prior.

However, recently, we’ve witnessed a worrying reversal: three consecutive years of increasing road deaths.

In 2023, 1,266 people died in Australian road accidents. Australian Road Deaths Database

With more progress, it gets harder to improve​

Over the years, through various safety initiatives and public awareness campaigns, we managed to significantly reduce road trauma. This includes measures such as seatbelt, helmet and child-seat laws, as well as regulations around speeding, drink-driving and phone use.

We also have safer cars and infrastructure now. Modern car features and technologies – such as auto-emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind spot monitoring and airbags – are associated with a lower risk of road accidents and fatalities.

With the significant benefits we have gained from these measures, additional safety measures will naturally lead to smaller improvements. But the toll is actually worsening.

What role did the pandemic play?​

For the first time in decades, we’ve seen a sustained increase in road deaths in Australia and other countries such as the United States.

During the pandemic, more people bought cars, perhaps to avoid public transport.

However, this alone doesn’t fully explain the rise in road deaths. With more people working from home, there has been a reduction in daily commutes. Plus, the increase in the number of vehicles has been modest relative to the rise in road deaths.

This shows the number of road deaths in Australia normalised by the population size (left) and the number of registered vehicles (right). Australian Road Deaths Database

So the assumption that more people are dying because there are more cars is, at best, a partial explanation.

Risky driving behaviours​

The post-pandemic data shows several indicators of declining road user behaviour and attitudes.

In New South Wales, for example, there has been a substantial increase in fines for minor speeding offences.

Across Australia, the number of fatal crashes in 60–70 km/h zones has been rising, from 241 associated deaths in 2020 to 315 in 2022. Speeding is likely to play a role, but it’s unclear to what extent.

This shows the number of road deaths in different speed limit areas. Australian Road Deaths Database

Remote and regional roads still pose a significantly higher risk of death, relative to their population. The road death risk is about six times higher in outer regional areas and nine times higher in remote areas compared to major cities.

This could be due to a number of factors: speeding, risk-taking behaviours and others such as poorer infrastructure, lower levels of enforcement, collisions with wildlife, long-trips and driver fatigue.

This shows the relative risk of death, based on the remoteness of the road. Australian Road Deaths Database

Deadly crashes involving drivers without valid licences have also risen. In 2019, 96 deaths were reported in crashes involving operators without a valid licence. This rose to 116 in 2020 and 128 in 2021.

The number of road deaths involving a cyclist or motorcyclist not wearing a helmet was 19 in 2019, but it jumped to 28 in 2020 and 2021, a 47% increase.

The proportion of road deaths with drugs detected in the operator’s system has been rising, from 14% for drivers and 11% for motorcyclists in 2015. In 2021, these numbers rose to 17% for drivers and 28% for motorcyclists.

Another worrying trend is the increased risk of road death for the 17–25 age group. This age group is now at the highest risk of fatality on our roads, surpassing the over-75 age group.

Too many young people are dying in road accidents. Rusty Toadro/Shutterstock

Improving road safety​

For the foreseeable future, human drivers will continue to be the primary operators of vehicles, and human factors remain the biggest contributor to road trauma.

When it comes to saving lives on the roads, we need to monitor attitudes to road safety. One way is through regular surveys at state and national levels, tracking scores of behavioural indicators over time. Much like political parties using ongoing polls to track the political climate, regular tracking of the community road safety climate allows us to proactively address challenges emerging from user behaviour, rather than waiting for alarming statistics.

Australia has some of the most progressive road safety policies globally. But our ambitious targets demands focusing more on user behaviour. Road safety campaigns, delivered via TV and other media, can influence road safety behaviours, with tailored campaigns targeting the specific demographics and behaviours of concern. Intensifying investment in these campaigns could be a key strategy in achieving our road safety goals.

This article was first published on The Conversation, and was written by , Milad Haghani, Senior Lecturer of Urban Mobility, Public Safety & Disaster Risk, UNSW Sydney

 

[Rob44]

Interesting graphs. Travelling at 60-70kph seems to result in the second highest number of road deaths and the increase in deaths in 2002 is noticeable, trending upwards to meet the 100kph 'death-rate" in the coming future. So speed doesn't kill. What kills is sudden deceleration, and that's the truth of it. Speed only kills when loss of control of that speed occurs and one's car hits a brick wall or another vehicle causing a sudden deceleration and of course having bits of one's car hit one violently. That is, momentum kills, which is mass times velocity. Photons travel at the speed of light, ho hum, and as apparently they have no mass being hit by a photon doesn't kill one although too many of them at one go for too long can cause sunburn; likewise if one is a fly in a car that is travelling at 100kph one has a very low mass and low momentum, and therefore more likely to survive a car crash at that 100kph than the 8 -14 stone driver who is also large enough to be hit by bits of broken and collapsing car.

Ho hum, physics at work; as is the common indignation in these columns about all the other dangerous fools going about their daily business on bicycles, electric scooters, motor-bikes and perhaps even in prams. Not to mention all the other bad drivers surrounding oneself on freeways etc.

Travel by train; that's probably the most safe way to travel. Or if we all went by bicycle............

 

[Rob44]

The only way that you could cut the road toll to zero would be to have 100% autonomous vehicles. The vehicles would have to be speed limited to the exact speed limit and governed electronically to totally eliminate any type of speeding within all speed zones. Whilst ever there is a human being in control of a motor vehicle there will invariably be accidents due to loss of concentration because of distractions like phones or even just something that grabs the driver’s eye for a second. I drive a heavy vehicle for a living and the amount of stupid unsafe incidents I see on a daily basis is quite frankly staggering. The percentage of p plate drivers using mobile phones whilst driving is frightening and even open class license holders using phones is high. I know this sounds extreme but I would support a three month suspension of driving as a first offence for motorists caught using a mobile phone whilst driving. We all want to travel safely and arrive at our destinations safely and I personally feel mobile phones and speeding are probably the two biggest causes of accidents

And when one of those electronically controlled vehicles all compelled to travel at the same speed blows a tyre or has an engine seize there could be a rather impressive tail-gate type of smash, sort of like a train coming off its rails........

Yes; it is carelessness that kills.

 

[Rob44]

"If not, what's holding us back?" IDIOTS!
But ; your figures don't go back far enough . Check up the something like 3000 deaths pa in 1960/70 before breathalyzer and .08
The best thing about Electric cars is there will be no voom voom noise factor --- it's seems the louder the exhaust note the fast they want to drive it

And before all the old farts start going off ; just remember we were all young and stupid once upon a time .

Electric cars are too quiet. Being able to hear another vehicle helps locate that other vehicle and that can give one that split-second warning of where that vehicle is and what the driver could be doing, particularly if one's car has a blind-spot not covered by any rear vision mirror. There lies the value of a noisy motorcycle as most car-drivers don't see motorcyclists in good enough time to avoid knocking them off their bike.

 

[SGH]

Electric cars are too quiet. Being able to hear another vehicle helps locate that other vehicle and that can give one that split-second warning of where that vehicle is and what the driver could be doing, particularly if one's car has a blind-spot not covered by any rear vision mirror. There lies the value of a noisy motorcycle as most car-drivers don't see motorcyclists in good enough time to avoid knocking them off their bike.

When we were in China the roads were crawling with these electric vehicles, they called them the silent assassins because you never heard them coming. People would walk out onto the street only to be mowed down by one of these vehicles.

 

[Rob44]

Wolf Avni/Shutterstock

Last year, 1,266 Australians died from road accidents involving at least one car and a driver, passenger, pedestrian or cyclist. The economic cost of Australian road trauma exceeds A$27 billion each year. That’s 1.8% of Australia’s GDP.

Australia has committed to an ambitious target of zero road deaths by 2050, known as Vision Zero. Originating in Sweden in the late 1990s, Vision Zero is based on a simple principle: no loss of life or serious injury on roads is acceptable.

But while we were making good progress at reducing road trauma, this has stalled in recent years, with Australian road deaths rising to levels not seen in nearly a decade.

​

If the current trend continues, meeting the Vision Zero target by 2050 appears impossible. So what’s going wrong?

Progress and setbacks​

The journey towards reducing road trauma has had both progress and setbacks. In the early 1990s, roads were claiming more than 2,000 lives in Australia each year.

Over the years, we managed to significantly reduce this number. By 2020, the annual road toll had dropped to around 1,097, almost halving the figure from three decades prior.

However, recently, we’ve witnessed a worrying reversal: three consecutive years of increasing road deaths.

In 2023, 1,266 people died in Australian road accidents. Australian Road Deaths Database

With more progress, it gets harder to improve​

Over the years, through various safety initiatives and public awareness campaigns, we managed to significantly reduce road trauma. This includes measures such as seatbelt, helmet and child-seat laws, as well as regulations around speeding, drink-driving and phone use.

We also have safer cars and infrastructure now. Modern car features and technologies – such as auto-emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind spot monitoring and airbags – are associated with a lower risk of road accidents and fatalities.

With the significant benefits we have gained from these measures, additional safety measures will naturally lead to smaller improvements. But the toll is actually worsening.

What role did the pandemic play?​

For the first time in decades, we’ve seen a sustained increase in road deaths in Australia and other countries such as the United States.

During the pandemic, more people bought cars, perhaps to avoid public transport.

However, this alone doesn’t fully explain the rise in road deaths. With more people working from home, there has been a reduction in daily commutes. Plus, the increase in the number of vehicles has been modest relative to the rise in road deaths.

This shows the number of road deaths in Australia normalised by the population size (left) and the number of registered vehicles (right). Australian Road Deaths Database

So the assumption that more people are dying because there are more cars is, at best, a partial explanation.

Risky driving behaviours​

The post-pandemic data shows several indicators of declining road user behaviour and attitudes.

In New South Wales, for example, there has been a substantial increase in fines for minor speeding offences.

Across Australia, the number of fatal crashes in 60–70 km/h zones has been rising, from 241 associated deaths in 2020 to 315 in 2022. Speeding is likely to play a role, but it’s unclear to what extent.

This shows the number of road deaths in different speed limit areas. Australian Road Deaths Database

Remote and regional roads still pose a significantly higher risk of death, relative to their population. The road death risk is about six times higher in outer regional areas and nine times higher in remote areas compared to major cities.

This could be due to a number of factors: speeding, risk-taking behaviours and others such as poorer infrastructure, lower levels of enforcement, collisions with wildlife, long-trips and driver fatigue.

This shows the relative risk of death, based on the remoteness of the road. Australian Road Deaths Database

Deadly crashes involving drivers without valid licences have also risen. In 2019, 96 deaths were reported in crashes involving operators without a valid licence. This rose to 116 in 2020 and 128 in 2021.

The number of road deaths involving a cyclist or motorcyclist not wearing a helmet was 19 in 2019, but it jumped to 28 in 2020 and 2021, a 47% increase.

The proportion of road deaths with drugs detected in the operator’s system has been rising, from 14% for drivers and 11% for motorcyclists in 2015. In 2021, these numbers rose to 17% for drivers and 28% for motorcyclists.

Another worrying trend is the increased risk of road death for the 17–25 age group. This age group is now at the highest risk of fatality on our roads, surpassing the over-75 age group.

Too many young people are dying in road accidents. Rusty Toadro/Shutterstock

Improving road safety​

For the foreseeable future, human drivers will continue to be the primary operators of vehicles, and human factors remain the biggest contributor to road trauma.

When it comes to saving lives on the roads, we need to monitor attitudes to road safety. One way is through regular surveys at state and national levels, tracking scores of behavioural indicators over time. Much like political parties using ongoing polls to track the political climate, regular tracking of the community road safety climate allows us to proactively address challenges emerging from user behaviour, rather than waiting for alarming statistics.

Australia has some of the most progressive road safety policies globally. But our ambitious targets demands focusing more on user behaviour. Road safety campaigns, delivered via TV and other media, can influence road safety behaviours, with tailored campaigns targeting the specific demographics and behaviours of concern. Intensifying investment in these campaigns could be a key strategy in achieving our road safety goals.

This article was first published on The Conversation, and was written by , Milad Haghani, Senior Lecturer of Urban Mobility, Public Safety & Disaster Risk, UNSW Sydney

• 19,510 deaths where people died with or from COVID-19 that occurred by 31 July 2023 have been registered and received by the ABS.
• The underlying cause of death for 15,460 (79.2%) of these people was COVID-19.
• There were a further 4,050 people who died of other causes (e.g. cancer) but COVID-19 contributed to their death.

From the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Worldmeter has a total of 23 988 Australians killed by Covid since Covid-19 was allowed to enter Australia (about 6000 per year)

3910 killed by Covid-19 during 2022-2023 according to the Daily Telegraph.

I was given Covid-19 at Xmas. I spent 10 days coughing up blood, mixed with green mucus. That was because some bloody fool(s) with Covid-19 had gone to the shopping centre and infected my wife who infected me. That bloody fool(s) was someone who couldn't be bothered to wear an N95 surgical mask in the shopping centre, didn't bother to control his/her/their cough and/or sneeze or perhaps didn't bother to clean his /her/their hands properly before handling a shopping trolley. I wonder how they obey speed limits when driving a car.

I have yet to spend 10 days coughing up blood because I/someone else broke the speed limit during the last 50 years that I have been driving, although doubtless that could also happen one day.

 

[Ian Crane-Luff]

Wolf Avni/Shutterstock

Last year, 1,266 Australians died from road accidents involving at least one car and a driver, passenger, pedestrian or cyclist. The economic cost of Australian road trauma exceeds A$27 billion each year. That’s 1.8% of Australia’s GDP.

Australia has committed to an ambitious target of zero road deaths by 2050, known as Vision Zero. Originating in Sweden in the late 1990s, Vision Zero is based on a simple principle: no loss of life or serious injury on roads is acceptable.

But while we were making good progress at reducing road trauma, this has stalled in recent years, with Australian road deaths rising to levels not seen in nearly a decade.

​

If the current trend continues, meeting the Vision Zero target by 2050 appears impossible. So what’s going wrong?

Progress and setbacks​

The journey towards reducing road trauma has had both progress and setbacks. In the early 1990s, roads were claiming more than 2,000 lives in Australia each year.

Over the years, we managed to significantly reduce this number. By 2020, the annual road toll had dropped to around 1,097, almost halving the figure from three decades prior.

However, recently, we’ve witnessed a worrying reversal: three consecutive years of increasing road deaths.

In 2023, 1,266 people died in Australian road accidents. Australian Road Deaths Database

With more progress, it gets harder to improve​

Over the years, through various safety initiatives and public awareness campaigns, we managed to significantly reduce road trauma. This includes measures such as seatbelt, helmet and child-seat laws, as well as regulations around speeding, drink-driving and phone use.

We also have safer cars and infrastructure now. Modern car features and technologies – such as auto-emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind spot monitoring and airbags – are associated with a lower risk of road accidents and fatalities.

With the significant benefits we have gained from these measures, additional safety measures will naturally lead to smaller improvements. But the toll is actually worsening.

What role did the pandemic play?​

For the first time in decades, we’ve seen a sustained increase in road deaths in Australia and other countries such as the United States.

During the pandemic, more people bought cars, perhaps to avoid public transport.

However, this alone doesn’t fully explain the rise in road deaths. With more people working from home, there has been a reduction in daily commutes. Plus, the increase in the number of vehicles has been modest relative to the rise in road deaths.

This shows the number of road deaths in Australia normalised by the population size (left) and the number of registered vehicles (right). Australian Road Deaths Database

So the assumption that more people are dying because there are more cars is, at best, a partial explanation.

Risky driving behaviours​

The post-pandemic data shows several indicators of declining road user behaviour and attitudes.

In New South Wales, for example, there has been a substantial increase in fines for minor speeding offences.

Across Australia, the number of fatal crashes in 60–70 km/h zones has been rising, from 241 associated deaths in 2020 to 315 in 2022. Speeding is likely to play a role, but it’s unclear to what extent.

This shows the number of road deaths in different speed limit areas. Australian Road Deaths Database

Remote and regional roads still pose a significantly higher risk of death, relative to their population. The road death risk is about six times higher in outer regional areas and nine times higher in remote areas compared to major cities.

This could be due to a number of factors: speeding, risk-taking behaviours and others such as poorer infrastructure, lower levels of enforcement, collisions with wildlife, long-trips and driver fatigue.

This shows the relative risk of death, based on the remoteness of the road. Australian Road Deaths Database

Deadly crashes involving drivers without valid licences have also risen. In 2019, 96 deaths were reported in crashes involving operators without a valid licence. This rose to 116 in 2020 and 128 in 2021.

The number of road deaths involving a cyclist or motorcyclist not wearing a helmet was 19 in 2019, but it jumped to 28 in 2020 and 2021, a 47% increase.

The proportion of road deaths with drugs detected in the operator’s system has been rising, from 14% for drivers and 11% for motorcyclists in 2015. In 2021, these numbers rose to 17% for drivers and 28% for motorcyclists.

Another worrying trend is the increased risk of road death for the 17–25 age group. This age group is now at the highest risk of fatality on our roads, surpassing the over-75 age group.

Too many young people are dying in road accidents. Rusty Toadro/Shutterstock

Improving road safety​

For the foreseeable future, human drivers will continue to be the primary operators of vehicles, and human factors remain the biggest contributor to road trauma.

When it comes to saving lives on the roads, we need to monitor attitudes to road safety. One way is through regular surveys at state and national levels, tracking scores of behavioural indicators over time. Much like political parties using ongoing polls to track the political climate, regular tracking of the community road safety climate allows us to proactively address challenges emerging from user behaviour, rather than waiting for alarming statistics.

Australia has some of the most progressive road safety policies globally. But our ambitious targets demands focusing more on user behaviour. Road safety campaigns, delivered via TV and other media, can influence road safety behaviours, with tailored campaigns targeting the specific demographics and behaviours of concern. Intensifying investment in these campaigns could be a key strategy in achieving our road safety goals.

This article was first published on The Conversation, and was written by , Milad Haghani, Senior Lecturer of Urban Mobility, Public Safety & Disaster Risk, UNSW Sydney

Human nature

 

[kevinwoodtufftyke52@gmail]

Wolf Avni/Shutterstock

Last year, 1,266 Australians died from road accidents involving at least one car and a driver, passenger, pedestrian or cyclist. The economic cost of Australian road trauma exceeds A$27 billion each year. That’s 1.8% of Australia’s GDP.

Australia has committed to an ambitious target of zero road deaths by 2050, known as Vision Zero. Originating in Sweden in the late 1990s, Vision Zero is based on a simple principle: no loss of life or serious injury on roads is acceptable.

But while we were making good progress at reducing road trauma, this has stalled in recent years, with Australian road deaths rising to levels not seen in nearly a decade.

​

If the current trend continues, meeting the Vision Zero target by 2050 appears impossible. So what’s going wrong?

Progress and setbacks​

The journey towards reducing road trauma has had both progress and setbacks. In the early 1990s, roads were claiming more than 2,000 lives in Australia each year.

Over the years, we managed to significantly reduce this number. By 2020, the annual road toll had dropped to around 1,097, almost halving the figure from three decades prior.

However, recently, we’ve witnessed a worrying reversal: three consecutive years of increasing road deaths.

In 2023, 1,266 people died in Australian road accidents. Australian Road Deaths Database

With more progress, it gets harder to improve​

Over the years, through various safety initiatives and public awareness campaigns, we managed to significantly reduce road trauma. This includes measures such as seatbelt, helmet and child-seat laws, as well as regulations around speeding, drink-driving and phone use.

We also have safer cars and infrastructure now. Modern car features and technologies – such as auto-emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind spot monitoring and airbags – are associated with a lower risk of road accidents and fatalities.

With the significant benefits we have gained from these measures, additional safety measures will naturally lead to smaller improvements. But the toll is actually worsening.

What role did the pandemic play?​

For the first time in decades, we’ve seen a sustained increase in road deaths in Australia and other countries such as the United States.

During the pandemic, more people bought cars, perhaps to avoid public transport.

However, this alone doesn’t fully explain the rise in road deaths. With more people working from home, there has been a reduction in daily commutes. Plus, the increase in the number of vehicles has been modest relative to the rise in road deaths.

This shows the number of road deaths in Australia normalised by the population size (left) and the number of registered vehicles (right). Australian Road Deaths Database

So the assumption that more people are dying because there are more cars is, at best, a partial explanation.

Risky driving behaviours​

The post-pandemic data shows several indicators of declining road user behaviour and attitudes.

In New South Wales, for example, there has been a substantial increase in fines for minor speeding offences.

Across Australia, the number of fatal crashes in 60–70 km/h zones has been rising, from 241 associated deaths in 2020 to 315 in 2022. Speeding is likely to play a role, but it’s unclear to what extent.

This shows the number of road deaths in different speed limit areas. Australian Road Deaths Database

Remote and regional roads still pose a significantly higher risk of death, relative to their population. The road death risk is about six times higher in outer regional areas and nine times higher in remote areas compared to major cities.

This could be due to a number of factors: speeding, risk-taking behaviours and others such as poorer infrastructure, lower levels of enforcement, collisions with wildlife, long-trips and driver fatigue.

This shows the relative risk of death, based on the remoteness of the road. Australian Road Deaths Database

Deadly crashes involving drivers without valid licences have also risen. In 2019, 96 deaths were reported in crashes involving operators without a valid licence. This rose to 116 in 2020 and 128 in 2021.

The number of road deaths involving a cyclist or motorcyclist not wearing a helmet was 19 in 2019, but it jumped to 28 in 2020 and 2021, a 47% increase.

The proportion of road deaths with drugs detected in the operator’s system has been rising, from 14% for drivers and 11% for motorcyclists in 2015. In 2021, these numbers rose to 17% for drivers and 28% for motorcyclists.

Another worrying trend is the increased risk of road death for the 17–25 age group. This age group is now at the highest risk of fatality on our roads, surpassing the over-75 age group.

Too many young people are dying in road accidents. Rusty Toadro/Shutterstock

Improving road safety​

For the foreseeable future, human drivers will continue to be the primary operators of vehicles, and human factors remain the biggest contributor to road trauma.

When it comes to saving lives on the roads, we need to monitor attitudes to road safety. One way is through regular surveys at state and national levels, tracking scores of behavioural indicators over time. Much like political parties using ongoing polls to track the political climate, regular tracking of the community road safety climate allows us to proactively address challenges emerging from user behaviour, rather than waiting for alarming statistics.

Australia has some of the most progressive road safety policies globally. But our ambitious targets demands focusing more on user behaviour. Road safety campaigns, delivered via TV and other media, can influence road safety behaviours, with tailored campaigns targeting the specific demographics and behaviours of concern. Intensifying investment in these campaigns could be a key strategy in achieving our road safety goals.

This article was first published on The Conversation, and was written by , Milad Haghani, Senior Lecturer of Urban Mobility, Public Safety & Disaster Risk, UNSW Sydney

Why isn't there a larger focus on the condition of our roads? Country roads are narrower and a lot are not sealed. Also the condition of our roads is getting alot worse too.

 

[Rob44]

Why isn't there a larger focus on the condition of our roads? Country roads are narrower and a lot are not sealed. Also the condition of our roads is getting alot worse too.

Ah well; Australians don't know what constitutes a bad road. Try Vietnam back in the 1990s or PNG every day of every year everywhere one goes.