The Australasian College of Road Safety’s (ACRS) Western Australian (WA) Chapter is calling on the WA and Australian Government to urgently prioritise road safety over politics, following a devastating start to July with 19 people killed on the state’s roads. This brings the total deaths on WA roads in 2025 to 120 (as of 17 July), the highest year-to-date fatality rate in 18 years.
While recent State Budgets have committed significant funding to road upgrades ($32.5 million announced following the 2024 Road Safety Summit and $250 million earmarked in the 2025-26 Budget for the Regional Road Safety Program), the escalating trauma rate highlights the need for faster, bolder implementation of known solutions.
“The numbers are clear, and the people killed are not just statistics, they are preventable tragedies,” said Dr Brett Hughes, ACRS WA Chapter spokesperson. “Western Australia’s own Road Safety Strategy 2020-2030 set a vision for zero deaths and serious injuries by 2050. We are moving in the wrong direction.”
The Driving Change strategy commits WA to a 50-70% reduction in deaths and serious injuries by 2030. Yet, as acknowledged in the government’s 2024-26 Action Plan¹, road safety outcomes are faltering.
The ACRS WA Chapter is calling for:
- A statewide review of default speed limits, prioritising reductions in regional and urban areas.
- Accelerated rollout of proven safety treatments, including sealing shoulders, installing audible edge lines, and redesigning intersections; and
- A unified, bi-partisan approach to road safety that is guided by evidence and not delayed by political cycles.
“Speed is a major factor in regional crashes, where more than half of WA’s road deaths serious injuries occur,” Dr Hughes added. “A 10km/h reduction on high-risk roads can reduce fatal and serious injury crashes by up to 76%, as demonstrated on Indian Ocean Drive².”
The ACRS WA Chapter urges all Western Australians to support road safety measures such as lower speed limits, improved signage, and traffic calming, recognising these as life-saving interventions, not inconveniences.
“It’s time for brave leadership. We know what works. What’s needed now is the political will to act before more people are killed.”
Despite national commitments to Vision Zero, progress at the federal level has also stalled. Under the National Road Safety Strategy 2021-303, reducing default speed limits on regional roads is listed as one of nine priority actions. Yet, as of July 2025, the promised Regulation Impact Statement has still not been delivered. This inaction undermines efforts at every level and signals a lack of urgency from the Federal Government.
The ACRS asks the Hon. Catherine King MP, Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, to accelerate this work and demonstrate national leadership on this critical issue, now.
Source:
- Government of Western Australia. Western Australia Road Safety Action Plan 2024-2026 – page 7.
- Government of Western Australia. (2020). Driving Change: Road Safety Strategy for Western Australia 2020–2030 – page 20.
- Commonwealth Government of Australia: National Road Safety Strategy 2021-30 – page 15.