The AAA welcomes the release of the Inquiry into the National Road Safety Strategy report as a new direction in road safety practices to drive a reduction in deaths and injuries on Australian roads.

The AAA supports the report’s findings.  We call on the major political parties to urgently respond to the report and prioritise road safety in government decision making and funding.

The Inquiry’s report shows that Australia cannot wait for action on road safety.  It makes it clear that improvements to the nation’s road safety performance have stalled.

Each year across Australia more than 1,200 people are killed in road crashes. At least another 36,000 people need hospital treatment, and many of these face life-changing injuries.

AAA Chief Executive Michael Bradley said: “We must do better.

“In 2013 and 2014, road deaths fell below 1,200 a year for the first time. But in 2015, the toll began rising again and the AAA’s Benchmarking of the National Road Safety Strategy Report shows that 1,225 people died on our roads in 2017. We urgently need to reverse this tragic trend.

“The Inquiry’s comprehensive report is a wake-up call to all politicians. The AAA agrees with the report’s argument that federal and state governments must deliver more leadership, more resources and a more intense focus to curb our road toll.

“Our current road safety strategies aren’t working.  We will not make progress in improving road safety until out political leaders recognise this.  As the report states, Australia needs a ’transformative approach to road safety’.”

The AAA will work closely with its member clubs and other like-minded organisations to advocate for a full response to this report and for real action on road safety in the lead-up to the forthcoming federal election.

The AAA thanks the Co-Chairs Associate Professor Jeremy Wooley and Dr John Crozier for their leadership and drive in producing this comprehensive report, and to their advisers Lauchlan McIntosh AM and Rob McInerney for helping to bring the report to fruition. We also thank former Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester for his willingness to listen to road safety advocates and for initiating this Inquiry.

Please see below for a list of the Inquiry’s 12 recommendations.

The final Report can be accessed at this link.

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Inquiry into the National Road Safety Strategy 2011-2020

 Recommendations

1. Create strong national leadership by appointing a Cabinet minister with specific multi-agency responsibility to address the hidden epidemic of road trauma.
2. Establish a national road safety entity reporting to the Cabinet minister with responsibility for road safety.
3. Commit to a minimum $3 billion a year road safety fund.
4. Set a vision zero target for 2050 with an interim target of vision zero for all major capital city CBD areas, and high-volume highways by 2030.
5. Establish and commit to key performance indicators by June 2019 that measure and report how harm can be eliminated in the system, and that are published annually.
6. Undertake a National Road Safety Governance Review by March 2019.
7. Implement rapid deployment and accelerated uptake of proven vehicle safety technologies and innovation.
8. Accelerate the adoption of speed management initiatives that support harm elimination.
9. Invest in road safety focused infrastructure, safe system and mobility partnerships with state, territory and local governments that accelerate the elimination of high-risk roads.
10. Make road safety a genuine part of business as usual within Commonwealth, state, territory and local government.
11. Resource key road safety enablers and road safety innovation initiatives.
12. Implement life-saving partnerships with countries in the Indo-Pacific and globally as appropriate to reduce road trauma.