Heartening lowering of road deaths but more needs to be done

Published | 23 July 2023

Our Chief Advocacy Officer, Garry Bailey said more needs to be done to drive down serious injuries and death on Tasmania’s roads, despite reduction in road toll.

Mr Bailey’s comments come as national statistics release by the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) show that in the year to June 2023, 37 people died on Tasmanian roads, which compares to 52 deaths in the previous corresponding period.

“While we have seen a 28.8 per cent reduction in deaths compared to last year, this is still well above where it should be as part of Tasmania’s commitment to the National Road Safety Strategy,” Mr Bailey said.

“While we would hope for zero deaths, the National Road Safety Strategy sets a target for Tasmania to have reduced deaths to at least 29 at this point, so with 37 deaths, we are still 27.6% above where we could be if Tasmania were on track.”

“Further to this, we still don’t understand significant road injuries, as opposed to road deaths.”

Year to 23 June, 167 people have been seriously injured on Tasmania’s roads, this is 29.5% higher than 2022 figures of 129 people.

“The grim reality is that serious injuries, like fatalities, inflict profound and enduring effects on victims, their families, and friends. They shatter lives, altering individuals' worlds irrevocably.”

“It’s time serious injury records were compiled so the community could understand the extent of the problem.”