Number of vehicle accident deaths

IBISWorld forecasts the number of vehicle accident deaths to climb by 1.1% in 2026 to a total of 1,323 fatalities for the year. Road safety academics have proposed several reasons for the recent growth in vehicle accident deaths. Some explanations include the popularity of SUVs among the population, potentially resulting in an unwarranted sense of safety that drivers falsely apply to others on the road. These larger vehicles also cause significantly more damage in accidents than smaller vehicles like sedans. Another plausible explanation is the deterioration of regional and rural roads, which may have inappropriate speed limits for their size, age and use.

Over the decade through the end of 2024 (latest complete data), Queensland had the highest growth in road toll count, rising from 223 in 2014 to 302 in 2024, a hike of 35.4%. Most concerning was the jump between 2019 and 2024, growing by 83 deaths or 37.9%. In a 2024 media statement, the Queenlsand state government urged drivers to take greater care on the roads, noting that instances of speeding had continued to climb, contributing to this dissapointing growth in fatal accidents. Over this same period, South Australia impressively reduced its road death toll despite its population growth, introducing more drivers to the road. In 2014, the state recorded 108 road deaths, but by 2024 this figure had fallen to 89, a 21.9% decrease over this time frame. Interestingly, a 2022 South Australian report on road safety noted that vehicle speeds within the state had been trending down since 2007 and that the share of vehicles travelling either at or below the speed limit had been growing. This contrast to Queensland speeding trends provides some explanation for the divergent trends observed regarding vehicle deaths between the two states.

Over the past three decades, road accidents have declined substantially despite an increased number of motor vehicles and population growth. Road fatalities have more than halved despite an additional 10 million registered motor vehicles over the past 30 years. Stricter road safety laws, transit authorities' measures and safer vehicle standards were all key drivers of this reduction. The substantial drop in fatalities can also be attributed to improvements in vehicle safety technology, most importantly Electronic Stability Control (ESC), a system that detects when the driver is losing control of the vehicle and applies brakes to individual wheels and other assistance to help maintain control. Monash University Accident Research reported that the system effectively reduces single-vehicle driver injury crashes by as much as 32%.

Over the past decade, the long-term downwards trend has begun to reverse, giving way to a slow but noticeable climb in the national road death toll. Vehicle and road safety measures are having a less dramatic effect on the road toll than in previous periods. Road and vehicle design changes have been less substantial, with only a marginal contribution to improved road safety. Earlier successes in introducing the use of seat belts and lowering drink-driving rates have continued, albeit at a slower rate. Drink-driving is a persistent problem, but the involvement of alcohol or drugs in fatalities is slowly declining. Collectively, these trends have slowed the downwards trend in road fatalities. Advertising campaigns have also waned in their effectiveness in reducing car accidents, with many drivers becoming desensitised to their messages.

When taking into account the growing population of the nation, the per 100,000 people road accident death toll has improved dramatically over the past thirty years, as well as over the past decade. In 1994, there were 10.83 road accident deaths per 100,000 people, yet in 2014 this figure had fallen to 4.90. According to the most recent data available, 2024 exhibited a rate of 4.8 deaths per 100,000 people, a significant improvement on the 1994 rate. Overall, IBISWorld forecasts the number of road fatalities to swell at a compound annual rate of 3.2% over the five years through 2026.