Sharp rise in road deaths

Strategies designed to cut the national road toll have been called into question after the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) released shocking statistics showing fatalities have risen by nearly 5 per cent in the past year.

In the 12 months to 31 May 2025, there were 1337 deaths on Australian roads compared to 1276 for the same period in 2024 – a 4.8 per cent increase.

In seven of the 12 months, the national monthly road toll exceeded 100 deaths according to the statistics from the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics.

A big contributor to the road toll was the number of pedestrians and cyclists involved in fatal collisions, both seeing double-digit increases on the 2024 period.

Tasmania recorded the biggest spike in fatalities, up from 30 in 2024 to 43 in 2025 – a 43 per cent increase. The ACT wasn’t far behind, jumping from seven to nine road deaths, a 28.6 per cent rise.

Road deaths in NSW remained comparatively steady, increasing from 349 in 2024 to 350 in 2025.

Only South Australia and the Northern Territory recorded a fall in their road tolls, from 96 to 88 and 52 to 51 respectively.

The Northern Territory continues to be over-represented per capita, however, as 51 deaths equate to 0.019 per cent of the population – by comparison, the 350 deaths in NSW represent just 0.004 per cent.

AAA managing director, Michael Bradley, said the figures show the National Road Safety Strategy (2021-30), which was designed by the federal and state governments to halve road deaths by 2030, was “wildly off track”.

“Far from halving roads deaths as planned, this latest data shows this strategy has seen fatalities increase 21.9 per cent since its inception,’’ Mr Bradley said.

“This strategy is due for review and the Federal Government needs to show national leadership and ensure this review gets to the bottom of this worsening crisis. “This strategy saw governments commit to road safety interventions that are either not working or not being delivered,” Mr Bradley said.

“The upcoming review needs to urgently clarify what’s working, what’s not, and how we need to change the way we’re managing road trauma across Australia.”

Road deaths in percentage increase