2025 A fifth consecutive Increase in road deaths

Thirteen hundred and fifteen lives were lost on Australian roads last year, the fifth consecutive annual increase, and the worst result since 2010.

Double demerit states, with the harshest sanctions, account for the majority of last years increases. New South Wales 9% and Queensland 2%. It proves again that imposing the harshest sanctions and high fines will never reduce the road toll.

The national fatality rate, the number of people dying per 100,000 population has increased to 4.8-deaths, compared to 2.5 in safer countries. Alarmingly Tasmania with 7.6, Western Australia 6 and Queensland 5.4 are the most dangerous states to drive in.

Transport ministers are still forecasting a 50% reduction in road deaths by 2030. This will be impossible to achieve. They're are in the process of a mid-term review of the 2020-2030 National Road Safety Strategy. A 2018 a similar review recommended stronger leadership but failed to implement its main recommendations.

Its apparent current sanctions are not containing driver behaviour. Police Commissioners continue to report worsening behaviour, yet transport ministers have failed to introduce more effective sanctions or road rules to address this.

Its important that the federal government provide all states and territories incentives to introduce more effective sanctions, with better sanctions on heavier SUV's, UTE's and 4X4's which are causing devastation in crashes.

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