General News
31 January, 2025
We must respond to a rising road toll
One in 10 drivers involved in a crash had 'ice' in their system
The steady increase in the number of Australians killed on the roads since COVID-19 has not received the attention it deserves from federal, state or territory governments.
It is unacceptable that 1300 lives were lost to road crashes in 2024.
That's the same number as 2012.
It is a dramatic increase in the 1095 deaths recorded in 2020 (the height of the lockdowns) and proof that despite safer cars, promises of better roads and attempts to improve driver behaviour, the trend is not our friend.
Ever since 2021 the death toll has increased year on year.
The steady reduction in road deaths since they peaked at 3798 in 1978 (with 30.4 road deaths per 100,000 people) can no longer be taken for granted.
While the 4.8 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2024 is a vast improvement when compared to the situation 54 years ago, it is heading the wrong way.
That figure had dropped to 4.3 deaths per 100,000 in 2019 and 2020.
While there is no shortage of pundits with various opinions on why the toll has started to rise again the reality is this is a complex and multi-faceted problem.
Apparent changes in driver behaviour, increased traffic congestion in big cities, a spike in the consumption of illicit drugs (such as ice), drink driving, poor road infrastructure, and driver fatigue have all contributed to this.
No single jurisdiction is in a position to tackle all of these factors on its own.
This is a national concern that warrants a multi-jurisdictional, all-of-government response.
One would hope that with an election due before the middle of the year, federal politicians, who are happy to announce projects such as the Bruce Highway upgrade to snare votes in key electorates, would give this issue the attention it deserves.
That's not to say that the commitment to making the Bruce Highway - reportedly Australia's deadliest stretch of road - safer is not justified.
But why, despite dozens of deaths and years of community activism, has it taken this long for a government to pledge the $7.2 billion needed?
A cynic would suggest political parties time such funding announcements for maximum political advantage.
This time-honoured practice has been a feature of Australian politics since long before Federation.
This is why Tuesday's call by the Australian Automobile Association to depoliticise federal road funding by linking it to a globally recognised risk rating system is as timely as it is sensible.
An Australian version of this funding model, which is used in 130 countries, would highlight where the risk of death or serious injury is greatest across the national road network.
While this would not necessarily take the final decision on what funds go where out of the hands of the politicians, it would make it much harder to either porkbarrel electorates by spending money on lower priority projects at the expense of urgent works or to delay funding announcements until the most propitious point in the electoral cycle.
That said, reforming the way in which funds are allocated is not enough.
A recent study that found one in 10 drivers involved in crashes had the drug ice in their system and that almost one in five had consumed drugs or alcohol is proof poor choices are also a major factor.
It's not enough to rely on the government to fix this problem.