Australia’s national road toll has increased for a fifth consecutive year, marking the longest run of rising road deaths since the early 1950s, according to new data released by the Australian Automobile Association (AAA).
The AAA said Australia recorded 1,314 road fatalities in 2025, an increase of 1.7 per cent from 2024. Road deaths have now risen every year since January 2021, a trend last seen in 1952.
The figures are published in the AAA’s latest Benchmarking the Progress of the National Road Safety Strategy 2021–30, as the Commonwealth Government undertakes a review of the strategy.
National targets off track
The National Road Safety Strategy, agreed by all Australian governments in 2021, aims to halve road deaths by 2030. However, five years into the decade, fatalities are 19.8 per cent higher than when the strategy commenced, and three of its five headline targets remain unmeasurable.
AAA Managing Director Michael Bradley said the review presents an opportunity for reform.
“The AAA is calling on the Commonwealth to extend its powers to conduct no-blame investigations of transport fatalities beyond aviation, rail and maritime incidents, to also examine the factors driving up our road toll,” Mr Bradley said.
“The starting point to addressing our worsening road toll is to understand what’s causing it to rise in the first place.”
State-by-state results mixed
Road deaths increased in four of the six states in 2025. New South Wales recorded the largest numerical increase, up 28 deaths to 355, while Tasmania saw the largest percentage rise, up 41.9 per cent to 44 fatalities.
Queensland and Victoria both recorded increases of 6 deaths, while South Australia and Western Australia saw small declines. The Northern Territory recorded a significant reduction in fatalities, falling from 60 to 38.
Despite the decline, the Northern Territory continued to record the highest fatality rate per 100,000 residents at 14.4, well above the national rate of 4.8.
Vulnerable road user deaths rise
Deaths among vulnerable road users increased 4.7 per cent in 2025, with 512 fatalities recorded across pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists.
Pedestrian deaths rose sharply, increasing 13.2 per cent nationally, while cyclist deaths climbed 32.4 per cent. Motorcyclist fatalities fell by 4.3 per cent compared with 2024.
Almost half of all road deaths involved drivers, while more than half of fatal crashes involved a single vehicle. Single-vehicle fatal crashes increased 7.5 per cent over the year.
Call for national leadership
The AAA said reducing road trauma will require coordinated national action, including changes to road funding, regulation and public education.
“Reducing road trauma requires new road funding, regulatory change and public education campaigns,” Mr Bradley said. “These measures will be more effective if they are informed by the work of a national investigative body.”
The AAA said the current review of the National Road Safety Strategy is a critical opportunity to address Australia’s worsening road safety outcomes.
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