Roadside breath tests, mandatory seatbelts and stringent car and road quality standards have all helped get more Australians home safely over recent decades. But the nation's reputation as a leader in road safety has been rocked by a rising death toll and a surge in serious injuries. More than 1,270 lives were lost on Australian roads in 2023, up seven per cent in a year and the second-highest annual toll since 2011.
The NRMA and other motoring bodies say the federal government should compel state and territory governments to share that data in real time to get their share of the annual $10 billion road budget. "Once you start to collect that information in a detailed and consistent approach, then you can start to pick up trends on why things are happening," Khoury said. "Because right now, we're running blind.