More Than 1,200 Australians Die on Our Roads Every Year. When Will We Call It What It Is?
More Than 1,200 Australians Die on Our Roads Every Year. When Will We Call It What It Is?
Some views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of RTSGNSW.
Every year during National Road Safety Week, we pause to remember more than 1,200 Australians who die on our roads. Thousands more are seriously injured. And behind every number is a shattered family, a funeral, a ripple effect that never truly ends.
I know this because I’m one of them.
My son, Barney Wakes-Miller, was just 17 years old when he was killed in a crash caused by a drunk, speeding teenage driver in 2020. Barney was full of love, potential, and humour. His life was stolen by a reckless decision.
This National Road Safety Week, as we bow our heads in remembrance once again, I’m asking: when will we do more than just remember? When will we change the laws and the systems that continue to let these deaths happen?
Australia's road toll has increased every year since 2020 — for the first time since before 1970. Between 2020 and 2023, national fatalities rose by over 15%. In NSW alone, deaths spiked by 25% in 2023. And 2025 is already looking worse.
New research by the Road Trauma Support Group NSW (RTSG) and Fiftyfive5 reveals that:
1.8 million Australians have lost someone they knew to a road fatality.
280,000 have lost a loved one in a crash caused by criminal behaviour.
71% of fatal road crimes involve speeding or reckless driving.
Most families never receive justice. And most offenders avoid jail.
This isn’t just a road safety problem. It’s a justice problem. A political problem. A public health crisis.
I welcome the recent change to NSW legislation that replaces the word "accident" with "crash." That shift matters. Language shapes the way we understand these tragedies. Calling them accidents denies the truth — that these deaths are preventable, caused by illegal and dangerous choices.
We need more than better words. We need better laws. RTSG has released a 12-point Law Reform Manifesto — practical, urgent steps that could prevent future deaths:
A new Serious Road Crimes Act
Stronger sentencing, including minimum penalties and alcohol interlocks
Transparent road death reporting
Mandatory victim impact panels
National data sharing across states to inform safer road design and enforcement
We must also hold our judicial system to account. Too often, offenders walk away with a fine, a suspended sentence, or a short stint in jail. For families like mine, who carry the weight of loss for a lifetime, it feels like justice is missing entirely.
This isn't about being punitive. It's about prevention. It's about sending a clear message that criminal behaviour behind the wheel has real, lasting consequences.
It’s time we treated road deaths with the seriousness they deserve. No more euphemisms. No more delays. No more excuses.
Let National Road Safety Week 2025 be more than another commemoration. Let it be a turning point. Let it be the moment we said: enough.
Duncan Wakes-Miller
RTSG Founding Member
18 May, 2025