Annual trauma

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Over the decade

In 2024 there were 1,300 road crash deaths in Australia. This is 42 (or 3.3%) more deaths than in 2023. Since an observed low in 2020, fatalities have been increasing by approximately 4% per year.

The rate of annual deaths per 100,000 population declined over the five years to 2020 (4.28) but since then the rate has increased by 3% per year, reaching 4.78 in 2024.

The rates of annual deaths per population vary significantly between jurisdictions: NSW, Victoria and the ACT have the lowest rates, while Western Australia and the Northern Territory had the highest. The trends over time also vary: for all jurisdictions except Queensland and the Northern Territory, the per capita rate decreased over the decade.

Data for hospitalised injuries is presently available to 2022. There are 30 times as many hospitalised injuries as fatalities. The per capita rate is also 30 times higher, and for 2022, the rate was 137.7.  Over the six years to 2022, the trend showed a reduction of 2.5% per year, in contrast to the increasing trend in fatalities.

Road user 

In 2024, drivers accounted for 46% of all deaths. Despite changes in annual counts across all road user groups, this proportion has remained consistent over the decade.

In the four years to the end of 2024, significant increases in deaths have been seen in drivers (+12%), motorcyclists (+49%) and pedestrians (+21%). 

The distribution of total deaths by road user type varies significantly by gender: of female deaths, a lower proportion are motorcyclists, and of male deaths, a lower proportion are passengers or pedestrians.

The distribution of total deaths by road user type is also different to the distribution of total hospitalised injuries. In particular, pedal cyclists account for 17% of hospitalised injuries but only 3% of deaths, and pedestrians account for only 7% of hospitalised injuries but 14% of deaths.

Demographics 

The overall distribution of deaths by age group has not changed significantly over the decade. Of all deaths:

• 16 and under account for 4%
• 17 to 25 account for 18%
• 26 to 39 account for 21%
• 40 to 64 account for 31%
• 65 and over account for 24% 

Rates of annual per capita deaths per 100,000 population by age group are consistently highest for age groups 17 to 25 (7.6) and 75 years and over (7.5). 

In 2024, males accounted for 75% of all road deaths. This has increased from 72% ten years ago. 

Regions

Approximately two-thirds of road deaths occur in regional and remote areas, and one third occur in major cities. However, when categorising hospitalised injuries from road crashes these proportions are reversed: two-thirds occur in major cities and one third in regional or remote areas.

The per capita rates for hospitalised injuries are also higher in Regional and Remote areas than in Major city areas, however the disparity is much less than the rate for deaths. The rate for Regional areas is 20% higher than Major cities and for Remote areas, the rate is 60% higher.

About the data

The tables on fatal road crashes presented in this report are based on two databases: the Australian Road Deaths Database (ARDD) and the National Road Safety Research and Reporting Database (NRRD).

The scope of the ARDD is all fatal road crashes in Australia. It comprises basic demographic and crash information only and is updated each month. The tables in this report presenting fatal crash data for 2015-2024 are based on the ARDD.(Opens in a new tab/window) 

The scope of the NRRD is all fatal and injury crashes across Australia. It contains greater detail than the ARDD and is the source for formal reporting on progress against the National Road Safety Strategy 2021-30(Opens in a new tab/window) fatality indicators. This database is updated annually. The tables in this report that present fatal crash data for 2014-2023 are based on the NRRD.

Due to the timing differences in data receipt and ongoing validation by data providers, there are minor data differences between the 2 databases.

Injury data is sourced from tables supplied by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

Population data is from the Australian Bureau of Statistics National, state and territory population (June 2024).

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• Annual Trauma Statistics 2024(Opens in a new tab/window)
• Historical Annual Trauma Statistics(Opens in a new tab/window)
• Road deaths in Australia 1925-2008(Opens in a new tab/window)