Australian 2019 road toll numbers revealed

Despite ever increasing safety systems in modern cars and omnipresent fines for various infringements, the Australian road toll increased in 2019.

In total across all states and territories, 1182 lives were lost on Aussie roads, which is an extra 47 fatalities compared to 2018, according to numbers collated by 7News.

The state with the highest recorded figure is NSW with 352 deaths, an increase of six deaths in relation to 2018.

This is in the face of the NSW Government spending $88 million implementing mobile-phone detecting cameras (both fixed and mobile) after a six-month trial ‘caught’ 100,000 drivers red handed. With the system now in place, you’ll receive a $344 fine and five demerit points if detected. NSW is also considering the removal of all road warning signs for fixed and mobile speed cameras in an effort to reduce the state’s road toll.

Victoria’s road toll rose to 263, which is the biggest increase for any state or territory for the year given its total was 213 in 2018. It seems the “collective brain fade” Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Stephen Leane alluded to earlier in 2019 continued.

Both South Australia (113) and Western Australia (164) recorded rises with an extra six and 33 fatalities respectively. Queensland (217), Northern Territory (35), Tasmania (32) and ACT (six) all saw its tallies drop, with the Sunshine State decreasing by 28 deaths.

Interestingly, fewer cars made it onto the roads this year, too, with the official VFACTS tally for 2019 coming in at 1,062,867 – the lowest annual result since 2011. However, it seems the increase in the number of cars fitted with features like Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) as standard and harsher penalties for driving infringements isn’t helping.