Aussie drivers warned over worrying nationwide shift on roads: 'Dangerous'

Yahoo

08-04-2025

Australian drivers have been urged to exercise extra caution on the roads during the school holidays, with the rate of crashes involving bikes and scooters soaring across the board.
It's a nationwide trend that's particularly prevalent in Queensland.
The Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ) said on average it receives one claim every second day relating to incidents involving two-wheeled devices, with the group's General Manager of Advocacy, Joshua Cooney, warning "everyone has a role to play to stay safe" on our roads.
Over the past 12 months, RACQ Insurance received 186 motor insurance claims for collisions with bikes and scooters. The figure marks a 20 per cent increase from the previous year, when 153 were lodged.
Research conducted by the Federal Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE) showed 1,300 people died on Australian roads in 2024 — up from 1,258 in 2023.
It's reflective of a four-year period of surging deaths, which has not occurred since before seatbelts were made mandatory in the '60s. An alarming 359 people died in the three months to the end of December last year.
This grim statistic made 2024 the deadliest year on Australian roads since 2012. The data further revealed that last year's road toll was 18.5 per cent higher than in 2021, the year a 10-year plan to halve road deaths was launched.
Though driver and passenger deaths slightly decreased in 2024 compared with levels in 2023, roads became much more deadly for other users, including pedestrians. Pedestrian deaths rose from 156 in 2023 to 167 in 2024 — a 7.1 per cent increase — while cyclist deaths jumped from 34 in 2023 to 38 in 2024, a rise of 11.8 per cent.
Motorcyclist deaths increased from 252 in 2023 to 278 in 2024 — an increase of 10.3 per cent — making last year the deadliest calendar year for motorbike deaths since 1989.
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Cooney says "we're seeing a fairly even split between motorists and riders being at fault". "[This] highlights the need for all road users to prioritise safety and be mindful of each other," he said, adding that collisions peaked between 3pm and 5pm.
"The data highlights a real danger period in the busy afternoon commute with road users generally more tired and the sun setting which can impact visibility," he said. "As we enter the holiday period with more families, children, and tourists out and about, we urge everyone to slow down, follow the road rules and exercise an extra level of caution to prevent crashes on shared roads and pathways."
A fresh RACQ study found 75 per cent of Queensland drivers encountered cyclists regularly, however only 10 per cent said they knew all the rules for sharing the road with riders.
About 12 per cent of those surveyed said they had experienced a near-miss with a cyclist and 25 per cent reported that they did not know many, or in some cases, any of the road rules for cyclists.
Cooney said that when the speed limit is 60km/h or less, drivers must leave a gap of at least one metre between their car and riders. "If the speed limit is above 60km/h, then you need to give the rider at least 1.5 metres of space," he said.
The warning comes after Sunshine Coast police joined forces with the Department of Transport and Main Roads, Sunshine Coast Health Trauma Service, Coolum State High School and other community groups to encourage safer use of e-scooters and e-bikes.
'We've seen too many instances of children and adults riding e-scooters and e-bikes illegally and dangerously, which can lead to crashes and serious injury,' Sunshine Coast District Officer Acting Superintendent Chris Toohey said late last year.
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