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# 1,300 Dead: Are Australian Roads Worse Than Ever?
- URL: https://www.carexplore.com.au/1-300-dead-are-australian-roads-worse-than-ever-2/
- Published: 2025-01-28T14:08:24.000Z
- Updated: 2025-01-28T14:08:24.000Z
- Description: Australia's roads claimed 1,300 lives in 2024, the highest toll in a decade. What states are most dangerous and what's being done to save lives.
- Author: Dylan Anderson
- Tags: Car News

Australia has just recorded its worst year for road deaths in over a decade, with 1,300 people losing their lives in 2024\. This is the same number as in 2012, and it marks the fourth year in a row where road deaths have gone up.

## Why Are Road Deaths Rising?

Even though cars are getting safer with new technology, more people are dying on our roads. The numbers have gone up by 3.3% compared to 2023, when 1,258 people died. This is a big jump from 2020, when 1,097 people died during COVID lockdowns.

![1,300 Dead: Are Australian Roads Worse Than Ever? ](https://www.carexplore.com.au/content/images/2025/01/Death-Toll-Rises-4.webp)

## Which States Were Most Affected?

Some parts of Australia saw bigger increases than others:

- The ACT had the biggest jump, with 11 deaths (up from just 4 in 2023)
- The Northern Territory saw deaths nearly double, going from 31 to 58
- Western Australia's numbers went up by 17%
- Queensland had a 9% increase

South Australia was one bright spot, with deaths dropping by 22%.

![1,300 Dead: Are Australian Roads Worse Than Ever? ](https://www.carexplore.com.au/content/images/2025/01/Death-Toll-Rises-2.webp)

## Who Is Most at Risk?

The numbers show some clear patterns about who is most in danger on our roads:

### Age Groups Most Affected

- People aged 40-64 had the most deaths (400)
- Young adults aged 17-25 saw 240 deaths
- Children under 7 had 19 deaths

### Where Deaths Happen Most

Most deaths happened on roads with higher speed limits:

- 378 deaths on 100km/h roads
- 296 deaths on 60-70km/h roads
- 224 deaths on 80-90km/h roads

## What's Being Done to Help?

The Australian Government has started a new project called the Road Safety Data Hub. They're spending $21.2 million to collect information about crashes and road safety. This will help them:

- Find out why crashes happen
- Fix dangerous roads
- Make better safety rules
- Share information with the public

![1,300 Dead: Are Australian Roads Worse Than Ever? ](https://www.carexplore.com.au/content/images/2025/01/Death-Toll-Rises-3.webp)

## Are We Meeting Safety Goals?

In 2021, Australia set some big goals for 2030, including:

- Cutting road deaths in half
- Having zero deaths of children under 7
- No deaths in city centers
- No deaths on highways

Right now, we're not on track to meet any of these goals.

## What Can Drivers Do?

While the government works on solutions, drivers can help by:

- Following speed limits
- Being extra careful on high-speed roads
- Watching out for motorcyclists (278 died in 2024)
- Taking care around pedestrians (167 died in 2024)

The rising number of deaths shows we all need to work harder to make our roads safer.

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