The Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS) is issuing an urgent warning over the continued failure of federal leadership on road safety, as Australia has now endured five consecutive years of increasing deaths and serious injuries due to road trauma. This sustained rise represents an unprecedented reversal of national progress, unseen since the 1930s, and highlights a systematic breakdown in accountability at a time when coordinated government action is critical to prevent people being killed or seriously injured on our roads.
In 2025, 1,314 people were killed because of road trauma, equating to 4.8 deaths per 100,000 people over the past 12 months. Tragically, 512 of these deaths involved vulnerable road users – an increase of 4.7 percent compared with the same period last year. That Australia is experiencing sustained increases in road trauma outcomes despite decades of research, investment and evidence-based knowledge underscores a failure of leadership rather than a lack of understanding.
This trend directly contradicts the National Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 (NRSS), which commits governments to halving road deaths and reducing serious injuries by 30 percent by 2030. Despite this commitment, trauma outcomes continue to deteriorate, and critical national accountability mechanisms remain absent.
The National Road Safety Annual Progress Report 2024 has still not been released, despite being a core requirement of the Strategy. There has also been no publication or consultation on the next National Road Safety Action Plan beyond 2025, leaving Australia without a clear national implementation framework at a time when performance is clearly moving in the wrong direction.
These reports and action plans are not optional. They are essential for transparency, performance monitoring and driving improvement, particularly when outcomes are worsening year after year.
“When Australia last experienced sustained increases in road deaths like this, road safety was barely even recognised as a policy responsibility,” said Dr Ingrid Johnston, ACRS Chief Executive Officer. “Today, we have strong evidence, proven interventions and a national strategy. What is missing is visible leadership, accountability and transparency.”
The NRSS is built on evidence-based principles, including the Safe System approach and strong governance. Annual progress reporting was designed to ensure accountability and enable timely adjustments when performance falls short. However, the lack of public reporting and the absence of a post-2025 action plan make it increasingly difficult for governments, industry, researchers and the community to understand priorities, decision-making and whether interventions are working.
The ACRS represents road safety researchers, practitioners and professionals with decades of collective experience across policy, infrastructure, vehicles, enforcement and public health. Despite worsening outcomes, there has been limited meaningful engagement with road safety expertise at the national level.
“Australia does not lack road safety knowledge or capability,” Dr Johnston said. “The best outcomes are achieved when governments, industry, researchers and professionals work together openly, without political game-playing and with full transparency.”
Road trauma is predictable and preventable, but progress depends on genuine collaboration, shared responsibility and evidence-based decision-making. Continued delays, limited transparency and poor engagement undermine Australia’s ability to reverse current trends and meet national commitments. The ACRS urges the Federal Government to act decisively, collaboratively and transparently to prevent further death and serious injury on Australia’s roads.