Rising road toll puts Australia way off track

A new report from Roads Australia shows road deaths have increased over the past five years, with Australia now off track to meet its goal of cutting road deaths by 50 per cent by 2030.

While most Australians assume road trauma is a ‘highways issue’, Roads Australia CEO Ehssan Veiszadeh believes the high percentage of deaths that occur on urban roads “tell a different story”.

“Forty per cent of all road fatalities now occur on high-capacity urban roads,” he said.

“These are our local streets, high streets, and busy town and city centres. These are places where people expect to feel safe.

“In 2025 alone, fatalities on 50km/h roads surged nearly 20 per cent, with 23 additional lives lost in just 12 months.”

Making up these deaths are often the least protected on our roads.

“Pedestrian deaths increased by 13 per cent last year on 2024 data, and cyclist deaths jumped by 32 per cent,” Veiszadeh said.

“These are the people least protected on our streets, including children walking to school, older people crossing the road, courier riders, and commuters on bikes.”

The increase in cyclist and pedestrian fatalities is due to the rise in Australians choosing to walk or ride, paired with a lack of safe roads.

“More Australians are walking and riding for school runs, commuting and local trips, but too many streets still ask vulnerable people to mix with fast, high-volume traffic,” Veiszadeh said.

“When you don’t have safe crossings, separation, or forgiving design, it only takes one mistake to become a tragedy.”

Additionally, regional roads have also seen a rise in fatalities due to their own set of challenges.

“Higher speeds, long distances and less margin for error.

“That's why road safety can't be 'one size fits all'. What works in our suburbs isn't the same as what's needed in a marginal corridor.”

Victims advocate and president of the SRAH Group, Peter Frazer OAM, whose daughter was killed by a distracted driver on the Hume Highway described the road toll’s impact is devastating.

“No parent ever expects nor wishes to outlive their beautiful child, and our world changed forever. The shock was immediate, but the grief has been enduring. It is not something you “move on” from... it is something you learn to carry,” he said.

“The loss of a loved one on the road is sudden, violent, and completely preventable. For families, the impact is profound and lifelong.

“But there is also the trauma. Road deaths do not just take a life; they fracture families with sadness carried by friends, colleagues, and indeed entire communities.

“Additionally, the emotional devastation is accompanied by practical challenges loved ones face – legal processes, coronial inquests, financial strain, and the long journey through systems that can feel impersonal at a time of deep vulnerability.”

To address the rising road toll in urban areas, Roads Australia is urging governments to review these trends and provide councils with the funding and expertise needed to implement proven, life-saving street safety measures.

The Showcasing Safe Movement & Place report outlines solutions to make residential streets, high streets, town and city centres, and shared streets safer, with the safety and movement of people on foot as the priority.

“Our new report calls for practical, proven and often low-cost changes that will make a real difference to safety on local roads,” Veiszadeh said.

“Even modest changes to speed environments dramatically increase the likelihood that everyone, especially children, older Australians, and people walking or cycling, can move confidently and comfortably.

“Slower speeds also allow the driver to stop more easily and avoid a crash entirely.

“These include safer speeds in high-risk built-up areas, pedestrian-focused design, and upgrades councils can deliver quickly, such as better crossings and other treatments

“If we are serious about meeting our 2030 road safety targets, we need to prioritise safer speeds and make our streets safer for everyone.”

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