For the first time since the 1950s, Australia has experienced five consecutive years of rising road tolls, after 1314 road users were killed locally last year.
A 1.7 per cent increase on the 1292 road deaths in 2024, it represents a sharp increase from 2021 where there were 1129 road users killed, however that year was partly impacted by lockdowns in some states and territories.
The additional 22 road deaths in 2025 over 2024 meant the death toll didn’t go down, however the number of fatalities per 100,000 residents remained unchanged at 4.8, marking the ninth year in a row where it has been under 5.0.
Road user deaths increased in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania, with the latter experiencing a huge 41.9 per cent increase, jumping from 31 deaths in 2024 to 44 in 2025.
Meanwhile the road toll dropped in South Australia, Western Australia, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory, the latter of which recorded a drop of 36.7 per cent with 38 deaths (down from 60), however it was still the deadliest jurisdiction with 14.4 road user fatalities per 100,000 residents.
| State or territory | Road deaths in 2025 | Percentage change vs 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | 355 | +8.6% |
| QLD | 308 | +2.0% |
| VIC | 290 | +2.1% |
| WA | 183 | -2.7% |
| SA | 87 | -2.2% |
| TAS | 44 | +41.9% |
| NT | 38 | -36.7% |
| ACT | 9 | -18.2% |
| Total | 1314 | +1.7% |
Vehicle drivers remained the most common road users to be killed, with the 571 deaths representing 43.5 per cent of the overall death toll, down slightly from 45.4 per cent in 2024.
Motorcyclist deaths experienced a decrease of 4.3 per cent, however pedestrians and cyclists both showed a big upturn in deaths, rising by 13.2 per cent and 32.4 per cent over 2024, respectively.
| Road user type | Deaths in 2025 |
|---|---|
| Driver | 355 |
| Motorcyclist | 266 |
| Passenger | 204 |
| Pedestrian | 197 |
| Cyclist | 49 |
| Unknown | 27 |
Perhaps unsurprisingly given they make up the largest group of road users, those in the 40 to 64 years old bracket were the most commonly killed on Australia’s roads, however there are still concerns around the 75-year-old and above road users who still accounted for 189 deaths.
| Road user age | Deaths in 2025 |
|---|---|
| 0 to 7 years old | 25 |
| 8 to 16 years old | 38 |
| 17 to 25 years old | 219 |
| 26 to 39 years old | 292 |
| 40 to 64 years old | 406 |
| 65 to 74 years old | 136 |
| 75 years or older | 189 |
| Unknown | 9 |
The Australian Automobile Association, which represents Australia’s motoring clubs such as the NRMA, RACV and RACQ among others, noted no jurisdiction is on track to meet National Road Safety Strategy 2021-30 targets, which are aimed at reducing road deaths throughout the decade to levels half that of 2020.
In the lockdown-affected 2020, the road toll was 1097, and last year’s road toll was an increase of 19.8 per cent over that figure, rather than the expected decrease.
“Since 1 January 2021, every year has seen a rise in road deaths. This is the first time since 1952 that Australia has had five consecutive calendar year increases in national road deaths,” AAA managing director Michael Bradley said in the motoring body’s report.
“The numbers contained in this report show Australia’s current approach to road
safety and trauma reduction are simply not working, and they underscore the importance of Australia urgently adopting a more data-driven approach to a crisis that kills more Australians every year.
“The federal government is currently undertaking a mid-term review of the strategy, and this must be used to develop a new approach to road safety.
“The Commonwealth conducts no-blame investigations of aviation, rail, and maritime incidents. It must extend these powers to also assess the factors driving ongoing increases in road deaths.
“State police do valuable work in apportioning blame for individual crashes, but Australia also needs national leadership to help curb this worsening crisis by identifying system-wide causes of road trauma.”
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