Why is Australia continually falling short of crucial road toll benchmarks?
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Here at the Seniors Discount Club, we care about everybody's safety, whether you're at home or on the road.
So it saddens us to report that Australia is still missing vital targets concerning our national road toll despite the Federal Government's efforts.
Over the past year, the rates have tragically spiked, with 1,205 people losing their lives on our roads.
The Federal Government’s target for reducing road fatalities has been frequently missed during the last five years, indicating a significant need for policy reform.
For context, the death toll over the 12 months to June 30 increased by 3.2 per cent or 37 deaths year-on-year. In the same period, the fatality rate rose to 4.6 per 100,000 people—a horrific 1.2 per cent higher when adjusted for population increases.
If we extend this view to the calendar year-to-date in 2023, the road toll spiked to 614 deaths in the first half of 2023.
If similar patterns persist during the subsequent six months, we may be looking at the worst road toll since 2017, when 1,223 deaths were recorded on Australia’s roads..
What is particularly concerning here is the steady increase in the death toll despite the Federal Government’s National Road Safety Strategy, which targets a 50% reduction in road deaths between 2021 and 2030.
To put this into context, the total of 1,205 deaths recorded over the last year is 634 more (or 111 per cent higher) than the goal of 571 road fatalities targeted annually by the end of this decade.
Instead of targeting a decrease, we're witnessing a worrying upward trend.
The AAA, the apex body for Australian motoring clubs like NRMA and RACV, calls our attention to this serious matter.
It expresses the urgent need for substantial reform in how Australia reports and assesses road trauma. It also emphasises that our national road toll is now 20 per cent more than it should be if our national strategy were on track to meet its projected reduction goal.
'Achieving this goal will require a new approach, as Australia’s road toll is steadily rising—not falling—and is already well over the trajectory consistent with meeting this target,' remarked the AAA.
One of the significant steps forward is enhanced transparency in official road safety data to have a more solid evidence base for effective policy responses.
Currently, insights around crash causes, serious injuries, road quality, or details of the vehicles involved are limited, as national figures are not combined or 'harmonised' from individual state data.
The AAA's Managing Director, Michael Bradley, candidly claimed, ' The available numbers show Australia’s current approach to road safety is not working.'
He further proposed a controversial solution suggesting that the Federal Government should consider withholding funding to states and territories until they supply more detailed crash data.
He added, ‘It is not good enough that the Commonwealth can only tell us how many people are dying on the nation’s roads, but they can tell us nothing regarding the causes of our rising rates of road trauma.’
Bradley believes that to facilitate the development of more effective road safety policies, the government should establish an evidence base by requiring states to publicly release data on the condition of their roads, the occurring crashes, and the contributing factors.
‘Publishing this data will allow all governments to work on practical policies to drive change and save lives,’ he stressed.
It's not just our safety we are concerned about, but that of the generations behind us. With this in mind, let's help create a safer Australia for us and future generations.
Drive safe, abide by the rules, and remember that every life is precious.
Why do you think Australia continues to fall short of crucial road toll benchmarks? Share your opinions with us; we’re all ears!
So it saddens us to report that Australia is still missing vital targets concerning our national road toll despite the Federal Government's efforts.
Over the past year, the rates have tragically spiked, with 1,205 people losing their lives on our roads.
The Federal Government’s target for reducing road fatalities has been frequently missed during the last five years, indicating a significant need for policy reform.
Despite ambitious goals, Australia falls short of crucial road toll benchmarks, putting lives at risk. Image by PublicDomainPictures from Pixabay
For context, the death toll over the 12 months to June 30 increased by 3.2 per cent or 37 deaths year-on-year. In the same period, the fatality rate rose to 4.6 per 100,000 people—a horrific 1.2 per cent higher when adjusted for population increases.
If we extend this view to the calendar year-to-date in 2023, the road toll spiked to 614 deaths in the first half of 2023.
If similar patterns persist during the subsequent six months, we may be looking at the worst road toll since 2017, when 1,223 deaths were recorded on Australia’s roads..
What is particularly concerning here is the steady increase in the death toll despite the Federal Government’s National Road Safety Strategy, which targets a 50% reduction in road deaths between 2021 and 2030.
To put this into context, the total of 1,205 deaths recorded over the last year is 634 more (or 111 per cent higher) than the goal of 571 road fatalities targeted annually by the end of this decade.
Instead of targeting a decrease, we're witnessing a worrying upward trend.
The AAA, the apex body for Australian motoring clubs like NRMA and RACV, calls our attention to this serious matter.
It expresses the urgent need for substantial reform in how Australia reports and assesses road trauma. It also emphasises that our national road toll is now 20 per cent more than it should be if our national strategy were on track to meet its projected reduction goal.
'Achieving this goal will require a new approach, as Australia’s road toll is steadily rising—not falling—and is already well over the trajectory consistent with meeting this target,' remarked the AAA.
One of the significant steps forward is enhanced transparency in official road safety data to have a more solid evidence base for effective policy responses.
Currently, insights around crash causes, serious injuries, road quality, or details of the vehicles involved are limited, as national figures are not combined or 'harmonised' from individual state data.
The AAA's Managing Director, Michael Bradley, candidly claimed, ' The available numbers show Australia’s current approach to road safety is not working.'
Alarming spikes in the road toll highlight the urgent need for policy reform in Australia. Image by snapsbyclark from Unsplash
He further proposed a controversial solution suggesting that the Federal Government should consider withholding funding to states and territories until they supply more detailed crash data.
He added, ‘It is not good enough that the Commonwealth can only tell us how many people are dying on the nation’s roads, but they can tell us nothing regarding the causes of our rising rates of road trauma.’
Bradley believes that to facilitate the development of more effective road safety policies, the government should establish an evidence base by requiring states to publicly release data on the condition of their roads, the occurring crashes, and the contributing factors.
‘Publishing this data will allow all governments to work on practical policies to drive change and save lives,’ he stressed.
It's not just our safety we are concerned about, but that of the generations behind us. With this in mind, let's help create a safer Australia for us and future generations.
Drive safe, abide by the rules, and remember that every life is precious.
Why do you think Australia continues to fall short of crucial road toll benchmarks? Share your opinions with us; we’re all ears!
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