Australia's road toll edges higher as AAA calls for national policy reset

Latest benchmarking figures show toll still climbing

Australian road deaths rose 0.2 per cent to 1,334 in the 12 months to 30 September 2026, according to the Australian Automobile Association, with cyclist deaths up 35 per cent, AutoTalk reports. The national fatality rate was unchanged at 4.8 deaths per 100,000 people. The AAA's previous benchmarking report in September had shown the 12-month toll falling for the first time in 39 months, making the latest result a return to the rise that has characterised most of the current strategy period. ¹

The AAA says the toll is now 21.6 per cent higher than in January 2021, when federal, state and territory governments agreed on the National Road Safety Strategy 2021-30 with the aim of halving road deaths by 2030. The association says only four of the strategy's 23 key performance indicators can be measured against 2025 or 2026 performance. ¹

State-by-state rates vary widely

The AAA's state-by-state figures, reported by AutoTalk, show the Northern Territory with the highest fatality rate at 13.0 deaths per 100,000 people, down from 15.1, followed by Western Australia at 6.5 (up from 6.4), Tasmania at 6.0 (down from 7.1) and South Australia at 5.6 (up from 4.8). Queensland was unchanged at 5.5, ahead of New South Wales at 4.1 (up from 4.0), Victoria at 3.8 (down from 4.2) and the ACT at 3.5 (up from 1.9). ¹

The direction of change differs sharply between jurisdictions over the reporting year. In the AAA's June 2026 benchmarking period, reported by the Australian Fleet Managers Association (AfMA), Queensland deaths rose 10.6 per cent to 323 and South Australia rose 27.4 per cent to 107, while Victoria fell 9.1 per cent to 269 and the Northern Territory fell 36.0 per cent to 32. AfMA noted the ACT's 87.5 per cent rise, from eight to 15 deaths, reflects its small base, where small numerical changes produce large percentage movements. ²

GoAuto's report on the AAA's July-period figures adds absolute death counts alongside the rates: New South Wales recorded 360 fatalities in the 12 months to July, up 6.8 per cent; Queensland rose 10.8 per cent to 327; South Australia rose 27.9 per cent to 110; and Victoria fell 13.8 per cent to 256. GoAuto reports the Northern Territory remained the deadliest jurisdiction per head at 11.6 fatalities per 100,000 residents even after its total fell 29.5 per cent to 31. ⁵

AAA demands national reset

The AAA's managing director Michael Bradley told AutoTalk the mid-term review of the strategy should be a wake-up call for every government in Australia. "We need a national policy reset because we won't get better results by pursuing the same failed approach," he said, adding that states and territories are implementing very different approaches without providing evidence of their relative effectiveness. "We need accountability and transparency so we can identify what's going wrong, why it's going wrong, and what can be done to fix it." ¹

The association's calls have been consistent through 2026. In its June benchmarking report, quoted by AfMA, Bradley said Australia's roads are "becoming more dangerous, not less" and criticised the failure to measure the effectiveness of state approaches to speeding, alcohol, drugs, fatigue and distraction. In February, AutoTalk reported the toll had risen for a 32nd consecutive month, with the AAA calling for federal powers to extend no-blame transport fatality investigations beyond aviation, rail and maritime to road crashes, beginning with a pilot focused on heavy vehicles, pedestrians or e-mobility devices. ²³

The AAA argues Australia's fragmented state-by-state approach makes it difficult to determine which interventions work, and has repeatedly called for consistent national data on crash causes, road quality, enforcement and behavioural factors. GoAuto reports the association says only four of the strategy's 23 performance indicators can presently be tracked beyond 2024, limiting assessment of programs targeting speeding, distraction, fatigue, seatbelt and helmet use and impaired driving. ⁵

Mid-term review and government response

The strategy's independent mid-term review, prepared by Ernst & Young and released on 17 September, found Australia's approach needs stronger action, improved data and a broader focus on vehicle safety, AfMA reports. It identified priorities including better use of data in decision-making, more timely performance monitoring, greater consistency between jurisdictions, responses to emerging e-mobility challenges and continued focus on rural, regional and remote road safety. ⁴

The Federal Government has committed funding in the 2026-27 Budget for national research into the causal factors behind road trauma, with three university-based road safety research organisations to be invited to propose research on the incidence, crash types and causes of road fatalities, AfMA reports. Regional Development Minister Kristy McBain said the review gives governments a clearer picture of what is working as the next National Road Safety Action Plan is developed. ⁴

The Government also cites investment of more than $14.4 billion over 10 years in safer roads through programs including the Black Spot Program, Roads to Recovery, the Active Transport Fund and the Safer Local Roads Infrastructure Program, according to AfMA's reporting on the review release. ⁴

Vehicle safety and vulnerable road users

AfMA reports the review found fatalities involving light commercial vehicles rose 12.1 per cent compared with the baseline period, heavy vehicle fatalities rose 7.2 per cent and motorcycle-related fatalities rose 28.3 per cent, while passenger car fatalities rose just 0.3 per cent. ANCAP chief executive Carla Hoorweg said the findings show why Australia's focus on safer vehicles must broaden beyond passenger cars to commercial vans, light and heavy trucks and motorcycles, and that ANCAP's assessment programs can incentivise safety technology well in advance of regulation. ⁴

Vulnerable road users remain a growing share of the toll. GoAuto reports 518 pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists died in the 12 months to July, up 3.4 per cent, with cyclist deaths surging 54.1 per cent from 37 to 57, motorcyclist deaths up 3.8 per cent to 272 and pedestrian deaths down 6.4 per cent to 189. The deterioration has occurred despite increasingly sophisticated safety technology in new vehicles, including autonomous emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance and driver monitoring. ⁵

GoAuto also reports international research suggesting confidence in vehicle technology may be contributing to complacency behind the wheel. The Safety in Motion: Driving Trust in Modern Mobility study found 90 per cent of motorists across 10 major markets felt safe during their daily journeys, compared with just 45 per cent of transport industry professionals; 30 per cent of industry respondents identified misuse or misunderstanding of driver assistance systems as a leading road safety concern, and almost two-thirds believed vehicle advertising could overstate such technology's capabilities. Former FIA president and United Nations road safety envoy Jean Todt warned in the report that automated technology should not be considered a substitute for driver attention. ⁵

Rural roads present distinct risks. GoAuto reports National Heavy Vehicle Regulator data showing 59 fatal heavy-vehicle crashes on rural roads in the 2025-26 financial year, resulting in 63 deaths, up from 52 crashes and 59 deaths a year earlier. NHVR chief operations officer Paul Salvati cited narrower carriageways, limited separation from oncoming traffic, wildlife, fatigue and greater distances from emergency assistance as country-road risk factors. ⁵

Broader context: a run of increases

The broader statistical picture, compiled by ROR Labs from official releases, shows 1,313 people died in the 12 months to August 2026 on provisional BITRE data, a rate of 4.7 per 100,000 and 1.1 per cent lower than a year earlier - the first small dip after more than three years of rises. Calendar-year 2025 recorded 1,314 deaths, up 1.7 per cent on 2024 and the fifth rise in a row, a run last seen in the early 1950s, ROR Labs reports. ⁶

ROR Labs also notes the rise is concentrated among people outside cars: pedestrian deaths rose 13.2 per cent and cyclist deaths 32.4 per cent in 2025, with deaths of people aged 75 and over up about a quarter. BITRE's Road Trauma Australia 2024 summary counted roughly 30 hospitalised injuries for every death, and two-thirds of hospitalised injuries occur in major cities while only a third of deaths do, indicating crashes on regional and remote roads are far more likely to kill. ⁶