Wildly off-track': Alarming rise in Aussie road deaths sparks urgent call for change
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Road safety is something most of us take for granted, but new developments have painted a troubling picture of what’s happening across the country.
Recent data has highlighted a growing issue that experts say demands immediate attention.
What lies beneath these numbers reveals a crisis that could impact every road user in Australia.
Governments in Australia faced growing pressure to implement decisive measures to curb road fatalities.
Data revealed a disturbing rise in deaths over recent years, with rates not seen since 1966.
The federal Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) reported that 1,300 people lost their lives on Australian roads in 2024, compared to 1,258 in 2023.
This marked a four-year trend of increasing road deaths, a pattern last observed before seatbelts were made mandatory in the 1960s.
The final three months of 2024 alone saw 359 fatalities, underscoring the gravity of the situation.
The total made 2024 the deadliest year on Australian roads since 2012, which also recorded 1,300 deaths.
The data showed the 2024 road toll was 18.5 per cent higher than in 2021, the year Australia introduced a 10-year plan aiming to halve road fatalities by 2030.
Though driver and passenger deaths slightly decreased in 2024 compared to 2023, the roads became increasingly perilous for other groups, including pedestrians and cyclists.
Pedestrian fatalities rose by 7.1 per cent, climbing from 156 in 2023 to 167 in 2024.
Cyclist deaths jumped by 11.8 per cent, increasing from 34 in 2023 to 38 in 2024.
Motorcyclist fatalities surged by 10.3 per cent, from 252 in 2023 to 278 in 2024, marking the highest annual toll for motorbike deaths since 1989.
The Australian Automobile Association (AAA) labelled the federal strategy launched in 2021 to reduce fatalities by 2030 as ‘wildly off-track’.
The association urged the Albanese government to mandate state-level reporting on road safety scores to ensure federal road funding was used effectively.
Queensland’s road fatalities rose from 277 in 2023 to 302 in 2024, while Western Australia’s toll grew from 158 to 185.
The Northern Territory saw a dramatic increase in deaths, from 31 in 2023 to 58 in 2024, while the Australian Capital Territory’s fatalities rose from four to 11.
Some states and territories recorded improvements in 2024 compared to 2023, with Victoria’s toll falling from 296 to 281, Tasmania’s from 35 to 32, and South Australia’s from 117 to 91.
New South Wales, however, saw no change, with fatalities remaining at 340.
Despite mandatory seatbelt laws introduced in 1969 for front seats and extended to all seats by 1971, the rising road toll reflected the challenges of modern road safety.
Michael Bradley, managing director of the AAA, stated: ‘We must use data and evidence about crashes, the state of our roads and the effectiveness of police traffic enforcement to establish what is going wrong on our roads and create more effective interventions.’
He added: ‘Australia's rising road toll underscores the importance of using road condition data to direct road funding, and to prevent the politicisation of scarce public funds.’
What do you think is the key factor contributing to the growing toll on our roads? What changes would you like to see implemented?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Recent data has highlighted a growing issue that experts say demands immediate attention.
What lies beneath these numbers reveals a crisis that could impact every road user in Australia.
Governments in Australia faced growing pressure to implement decisive measures to curb road fatalities.
Data revealed a disturbing rise in deaths over recent years, with rates not seen since 1966.
The federal Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) reported that 1,300 people lost their lives on Australian roads in 2024, compared to 1,258 in 2023.
This marked a four-year trend of increasing road deaths, a pattern last observed before seatbelts were made mandatory in the 1960s.
The final three months of 2024 alone saw 359 fatalities, underscoring the gravity of the situation.
The total made 2024 the deadliest year on Australian roads since 2012, which also recorded 1,300 deaths.
The data showed the 2024 road toll was 18.5 per cent higher than in 2021, the year Australia introduced a 10-year plan aiming to halve road fatalities by 2030.
Though driver and passenger deaths slightly decreased in 2024 compared to 2023, the roads became increasingly perilous for other groups, including pedestrians and cyclists.
Pedestrian fatalities rose by 7.1 per cent, climbing from 156 in 2023 to 167 in 2024.
Cyclist deaths jumped by 11.8 per cent, increasing from 34 in 2023 to 38 in 2024.
Motorcyclist fatalities surged by 10.3 per cent, from 252 in 2023 to 278 in 2024, marking the highest annual toll for motorbike deaths since 1989.
The Australian Automobile Association (AAA) labelled the federal strategy launched in 2021 to reduce fatalities by 2030 as ‘wildly off-track’.
The association urged the Albanese government to mandate state-level reporting on road safety scores to ensure federal road funding was used effectively.
Queensland’s road fatalities rose from 277 in 2023 to 302 in 2024, while Western Australia’s toll grew from 158 to 185.
The Northern Territory saw a dramatic increase in deaths, from 31 in 2023 to 58 in 2024, while the Australian Capital Territory’s fatalities rose from four to 11.
Some states and territories recorded improvements in 2024 compared to 2023, with Victoria’s toll falling from 296 to 281, Tasmania’s from 35 to 32, and South Australia’s from 117 to 91.
New South Wales, however, saw no change, with fatalities remaining at 340.
Despite mandatory seatbelt laws introduced in 1969 for front seats and extended to all seats by 1971, the rising road toll reflected the challenges of modern road safety.
Michael Bradley, managing director of the AAA, stated: ‘We must use data and evidence about crashes, the state of our roads and the effectiveness of police traffic enforcement to establish what is going wrong on our roads and create more effective interventions.’
He added: ‘Australia's rising road toll underscores the importance of using road condition data to direct road funding, and to prevent the politicisation of scarce public funds.’
What do you think is the key factor contributing to the growing toll on our roads? What changes would you like to see implemented?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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