A deadly year on Aussie roads as national toll soars
New cars are safer than ever but Australia is heading for a devastating road toll that would make 2025 the deadliest year in more than a decade.
Annual highway safety data from the National Center for Highway Safety shows that 1,332 people Died on Australian roads There was a three percent increase in the 12 months until November compared to the same period last year.
This exceeds the 1,300 people killed on roads in the whole of 2024 and is the worst figure since 2010, when 1,353 deaths were recorded.
Experts fear the death toll will continue to rise as people head out for Christmas, with the Australian Automobile Association calling on the federal government to reassess its overall approach to road safety.
“The starting point in addressing our worsening road tolls is to understand what caused this increase in the first place,” said the association’s Michael Bradley.
“Only by conducting crime-free investigations can we accurately understand our current problems and identify targeted solutions that will reduce road trauma.”
Australia’s road toll peak continues with 3798 deaths in 1970, leading to a national rethink on road safety and the introduction of mandatory seat belts and child restraints.
RACQ advocacy general manager Joshua Cooney said Australia had had a “terrible year on the roads”.
The Queensland automotive agency found five factors were responsible for most road deaths: speeding, drink driving, fatigue, distraction and passengers or drivers not wearing seatbelts.
“The fatal five continues to be a factor in most deaths, particularly speeding, drink driving and drug use,” Mr Cooney told AAP.
“New cars may be safer, but they cannot protect against careless decisions made behind the wheel and blatant disregard for the law.”
The highest number of deaths occurred in NSW, with 361 deaths, a 10.7 per cent increase by the end of November. Deaths also increased in Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania.
However, Victoria, South Australia, the Northern Territory and the ACT managed to reduce the number of deaths.
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