Australia’s road toll has increased for the 37th consecutive month, prompting the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) to call for the release of the Federal Government’s mid-term review of the National Road Safety Strategy 2021–30.
The latest AAA Benchmarking the Progress of the National Road Safety Strategy report shows 1,325 people died on Australian roads in the 12 months to 30 June 2026, up from 1,323 in the previous 12-month period.
The national fatality rate also reached 4.8 deaths per 100,000 people, compared with 4.3 in the 12 months to December 2020. The AAA said this demonstrated that the road fatality rate had increased faster than population growth.
“Australia’s roads are becoming more dangerous, not less, and we are still failing to measure the effectiveness of the various ways states and territories try to stop people speeding; or driving under the influence of alcohol; drugs; fatigue; or distraction,” said Michael Bradley, Managing Director of the Australian Automobile Association.
“We need to get dangerous drivers off the road, and to do that, we need to know which rules and enforcement regimes work best, and which do not.”
Road deaths vary significantly across states and territories
While the national road toll increased by 0.2 per cent, results varied considerably between jurisdictions.
| Jurisdiction | 12 months to June 2025 | 12 months to June 2026 | Change |
| NSW | 348 | 350 | +0.6% |
| Victoria | 296 | 269 | -9.1% |
| Queensland | 292 | 323 | +10.6% |
| South Australia | 84 | 107 | +27.4% |
| Western Australia | 199 | 193 | -3.0% |
| Tasmania | 46 | 36 | -21.7% |
| Northern Territory | 50 | 32 | -36.0% |
| ACT | 8 | 15 | +87.5% |
| Australia | 1,323 | 1,325 | +0.2% |
Source: National Road Safety Data Hub
Queensland recorded 323 deaths, an increase of 31 on the previous period, while South Australia recorded 107 deaths, up by 23.
The ACT recorded the largest percentage increase, rising from eight to 15 fatalities. However, the smaller number of deaths in the territory means relatively small numerical changes produce larger percentage movements.
Victoria, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory recorded declines. Victoria’s road toll fell by 27 deaths to 269, while the Northern Territory recorded the largest percentage reduction, falling 36 per cent to 32 deaths.
Strategy falls behind 2030 target
The National Road Safety Strategy aims to halve road deaths and reduce serious injuries by 30 per cent by 2030.
However, the AAA said road deaths have increased by 20.8 per cent since the beginning of the decade rather than moving towards the targeted 50 per cent reduction.
The association also raised concerns about the ability to measure progress under the strategy. Of its 23 performance indicators, the AAA said only four can currently be tracked beyond 2024.
Nine months have passed since the Commonwealth announced a mid-term review of the strategy, and the AAA is calling for the findings to be released along with details of how the national approach will be changed in response to the rising road toll.
AAA calls for greater use of road safety data
The AAA said Australia continues to have a fragmented approach to road trauma, with states and territories using different measures to address issues such as speeding, alcohol and drug use, fatigue and distraction.
In November 2024, the Federal Government committed to linking Commonwealth road funding with state and territory road safety data reporting obligations. The AAA welcomed the move at the time as a significant road safety reform.
However, the association said 20 months later, national analysis has yet to be released on crash causes linked to risky behaviours or the effectiveness of measures being used to address them.
The AAA is calling on the Commonwealth to collect, publish and analyse national data on road safety interventions and use the findings to identify effective measures and replace approaches that are not delivering results.
“The Commonwealth needs to take this opportunity to ensure Australia’s future transport safety interventions are guided by data, rather than politics or intuition,” said Bradley, Managing Director of the Australian Automobile Association.
The latest benchmarking report tracks progress towards the National Road Safety Strategy’s targets at both national and state and territory levels, as the strategy enters the second half of its 2021–30 timeframe.
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