Australian road toll up in 2019

Close to 1200 people died on Australian roads in 2019 – more than in 2018 but much fewer than in 2016, when close to 1300 deaths were recorded, and the record high of 1603 in 2007.

Official figures show Australia’s road toll was 1182 over the last 12 months, compared with 1137 in 2018.

On a state-by-state basis, NSW led the 2019 tally with a total of 352 fatalities, while South Australia and Western Australia also recorded more deaths than the year before.

Queensland, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the ACT all recorded fewer deaths than the previous year.

However, Victoria had the highest increase (50 more than in 2018) with a total of 263 lives lost – the highest it’s been in three years.

Jaala Pulford, the minister for fishing, boating, roads and the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) in Victoria, the state with the most draconian approach to speed enforcement, described the result as heartbreaking.

“It’s been a devastating year on Victoria’s roads with every loss of life someone’s mother, father, sister, brother, husband, wife or friend who will not come home tonight,” she said.

“That’s why we’re cracking down on dangerous driving, building safer roads and working on the next road safety strategy – but every Victorian has a role to play, to stop speeding, to put the phone away and drive safely.”

According to the TAC, speeding, drink and drug driving, distraction, fatigue and not wearing seatbelts were all common contributing factors to the increased road toll.

Fatal crashes were up across every road user group including drivers and passengers, and vulnerable road users such as pedestrians and motorcyclists.

The TAC said speed was a factor in 22 per cent of Victorian crashes, around one in five crashes involved fatigue and “distractions like mobile phones are having deadly consequences”.

In NSW, there were significant reductions in a number of areas in 2019, including fewer pedestrian deaths, said Bernard Carlon, executive director for Road & Maritime Safety.

“However 2019’s road toll has seen an emerging trend amongst a different group of road users – men aged 30 to 59 – up by 13 on the previous year,” said Carlon.

In NSW, speeding is said to have contributed to about 39 per cent of road deaths, while drug driving, drink driving and fatigue each contributed about 20 per cent.

2019 Australian road toll breakdown: