“Every life lost on WA roads is one too many and each has a lasting ripple effect in the community. A preliminary count shows 33 more people were killed on Western Australian roads in 2016 than the year prior,” Mr Golsby said.
“This is 16 more than the five year average and a tragedy for our State.
“It’s clear that leading in to the State election in March both the State Government and the Opposition need to act immediately and re-evaluate their approach to the Towards Zero road safety strategy if we are to reach the strategy’s target of 40 per cent fewer deaths by 2020.”
The higher road toll is largely attributable to both an increase in deaths on regional roads and motorcyclist fatalities.
In 2015, 86 regional fatalities were recorded while 22 motorcyclists died. Unfortunately 2016 saw a marked increase in both these areas, with 119 regional and 40 motorcyclists deaths.
Meantime, the Wheatbelt, Great Southern and South West all performed poorly, while the Wheatbelt’s fatality rate is almost seven times higher than the State rate of 7.36, and double the region’s 2015 count.However, the problem is not just a regional one; a further 72 people died on metropolitan roads in 2016.
“On top of that, Western Australia’s fatality rate is once again higher than the national average, and we continue to lag behind leading States Victoria and New South Wales,” Mr Golsby said
“As a community we cannot continue to be complacent, we can and need to do more to stop fatalities and serious injuries.”
The latest Annual Report released by the Road Safety Commission identified that $95 million remained unspent in the Road Trauma Trust Account. This funding is available for road safety initiatives across Western Australia.
Figures at a glance:
| 2016 road toll: 194 | Motorcyclist deaths: | Regional fatalities: |
| 2015 road toll: 161 | 2016 – 40 | 2016 – 119 |
| 2015 – 22 | 2015 – 86 |
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