Peak trucking industry body NatRoad is calling on the government elected at the upcoming federal election to focus on road safety and stopping the rising rate of crashes, injuries and deaths on our road network.
This was just one of the recommendations that Australia’s largest road transport association announced in a national reform agenda called Road to 2028 launched today.
Australian roads have seen a 27 per cent increase in the overall incident rate for heavy vehicles over 12 months.
It has been previously shown that it takes raising road standards by just one star on the AusRAP rating system to reduce deaths by 50 per cent, said NatRoad in a release announcing the reform agenda.
Seventy-nine people died in fatigue-related crashes in NSW alone last year, a 47 per cent increase on 2023, and the data shows 20 – 30 per cent of all crashes across all vehicle types are caused by fatigue.
This National Driver Fatigue Week, NatRoad is recommending a portion of the funding already earmarked by governments for road improvements should be redirected to rest areas.
Additionally, heavy vehicle rest areas should be incorporated into the criteria within the star rating system, said NatRoad.
NatRoad has also urged the government to deliver on its commitment to lift 80 per cent of national highways to at least 3-stars by 2030, while requesting an extended commitment towards achieving 100 per cent by 2035.
“Both federal and state governments needs to lift their game to save lives. In 2024, 1,324 lives were lost on Australian roads, and that number has been steadily rising for the last four years,” said NatRoad CEO Warren Clark.
“The budget has $120 billion allocated for infrastructure improvements over the next decade, and in 2013 the cost of lifting all highways to 3-stars was estimated at just $4.7 billion. The money is there.”
NatRoad said its Road to 2028 national reform agenda aims to deliver a safer, more sustainable road freight industry for all Australians.
NatRoad has flagged that Australia is also short of at least 26,000 freight drivers.
The projected increase in road freight volumes by 77 per cent from 2020 to 2050 is placing Australia’s growth and prosperity at considerable risk.
“The road freight industry is already at breaking point with a perfect storm of rising costs, escalating interest rates and increasing wages. We can’t afford to put drivers and other road users at risk with the continued underinvestment in highway infrastructure,” Clark said.
“With the upcoming elections, NatRoad is calling on the government to step up to their commitment to road safety.”
The Road to 2028 covers five key outcomes to address the most pressing concerns of the road transport industry.
“There are serious challenges facing trucking operators right now, and we’ve been calling these out for some time. We can’t and won’t wait for change. We must make it happen,” Clark explained.
“That’s why I spent considerable time in Canberra, meeting with Labor, Coalition and Independent members during the first sitting week of Parliament in February, taking them through the Road to 2028 priorities.”
“The future of our industry is at stake here,” Clark added.