The Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS) says the Mid-term Review of the National Road Safety Strategy 2021–30 (NRSS) must mark a turning point in Australia’s national response to road trauma, calling for stronger leadership, greater accountability and transparent reporting on whether government action is making our roads safer.
The Mid-term Review identifies opportunities to strengthen national leadership, coordination, data and accountability. However, its release alongside the delayed 2024 National Road Safety Annual Progress Report also reveals a fundamental problem: despite the reported road safety expenditure, Australia is not achieving the reductions in fatal and serious road trauma needed to meet its 2030 targets.
Findings in the Mid-term Review show that average annual road deaths increased from 1,139 during the 2018–2020 baseline period to 1,217 during 2021–2024 – an increase of almost seven percent. But these averages mask how much outcomes have worsened. Road deaths rose from 1,129 in 2021 to 1,182 in 2022, 1,252 in 2023, 1,291 in 2024 and 1,306 in 2025. The 2025 figure is almost 15 percent above the baseline average, while the fatality rate increased from 4.5 to 4.7 deaths per 100,000 people. The year-by-year figures show the true scale and direction of increase in road trauma.
ACRS CEO Dr Ingrid Johnston said that these outcomes must remain at the centre of any assessment of progress.
“The Mid-term Review highlights many of the changes that are needed to reduce road trauma and improve road safety. What matters now is whether those findings translate into action,” Dr Johnston said. “Australia has invested in road safety and made progress in areas including data, infrastructure, vehicle safety and implementation of the Safe System approach. But investment has not been sufficient across all areas needed to achieve the reductions in road deaths and serious injuries committed to by 2030. Activity and investment alone cannot be measures of success. The essential test is whether our roads are becoming safer and fewer people are being killed and seriously injured.”
Timely and transparent reporting is essential to accountability under the NRSS. The 2024 National Road Safety Annual Progress Report has only now been released, while the Mid-term Review did not directly assess implementation and outcomes of the National Road Safety Action Plan 2023-2025, which ended last year.
The ACRS says there must now be a clear assessment of what was delivered, what was not delivered and why, and what difference those actions made.
“Accountability must apply to commitments already made, as well as those governments make for the remainder of this decade,” Dr Johnston said.
“The next Action Plan needs clear responsibilities, deadlines, and measurable outcomes. Reporting must tell Australians not just what governments have done, but whether those actions have made our roads safer and prevented people from being killed and seriously injured”
The ACRS is calling for stronger ongoing engagement between governments and Australia’s road safety research, professional and community sectors. While the ACRS participated in consultation for the Mid-term Review, periodic consultation is not a substitute for drawing on independent road safety expertise through implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
“Australia has an enormous road safety knowledge and expertise. We need to use that expertise throughout the life of the National Road Safety Strategy – not only when strategies and reviews are being developed,” Dr Johnston said.
The ACRS is calling for the next National Road Safety Action Plan to:
– Set clear responsibility, deadlines and measurable outcomes for priority actions
– Establish clear government accountability for delivering agreed actions and achieving road safety outcomes
– Show how actions and investment will reduce fatal and serious road trauma, and report against those outcomes
– Provide timely and transparent reporting of implementation, road system performance and outcomes
– Involve road safety professionals, researchers and other stakeholders throughout implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
The ACRS will also continue to advocate for the broader governance reforms raised in its submission to the Mid-term Review.
“Australia does not need another cycle in which activity is mistaken for improved safety,” Dr Johnston said. With less than four years remaining to achieve the 2030 targets, the Mid-term Review must be a turning point. Australia has the evidence, capability and expertise to prevent road trauma. What is needed now is measurable action, transparent accountability and sustained national leadership.”