National Road Safety Week
May 22, 2026
This week is National Road Safety Week and this year’s theme, Drive So Others Survive, says it all. Every time we get behind the wheel, our choices don’t just affect us. They affect the people sharing the road with us: other drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and passengers.
In Western Australia, road safety is a challenge we’re all facing together, and the statistics make it clear: it’s a long road ahead. Whether it’s putting the phone down, slowing to the speed limit, or simply staying focused, small decisions add up.
Here’s five facts you may not know about road safety:
- Nearly 40% of serious and fatal injuries in WA occur in the afternoon, and nearly 20% of fatalities happen on Saturdays
- Around 20% of people killed in motor vehicle crashes in WA over the past decade were not wearing a seatbelt
- WA is not on track to meet its road safety targets. The state’s Driving Change 2020-2030 strategy aims to cut deaths and serious injuries by 50–70% by 2030 – but the Road Safety Commissioner has confirmed the downward trend isn’t moving fast enough
- WA and the Northern Territory consistently record the highest road death rates per capita of any Australian state or territory – well above the national average.
- More than 46% of 17–25-year-old drivers looked at a smartphone screen held in their hand while driving in a typical week in 2024.
Sources from RAC Horizons rac.com.au, Road Safety Commission WA / edriving.com, National Road Safety Data Hub: datahub.roadsafety.gov.au and budgetdirect.com.au citing AAA/CARRS-Q.
