In 2022, there were nearly 1,200 road crash deaths in Australia – a figure that has remained largely the same over the past decade. However, some states and territories have seen dramatic increases in just the last five years, such as the ACT (100%), Tasmania (59.4%) and Queensland (21.2%).
Serious injuries from road crashes have also been on the rise, from 35,000 in 2013 to 39,866 in 2019.
These statistics highlight the need for an urgent rethink of road safety policies if we are to achieve Australia’s target of a 50% decrease in fatalities and a 30% decrease in serious injuries by 2030. We are clearly not on track to meet these targets.
