In an effort to save lives, the federal government has resolved to tie state funding to the sharing of road collision data, after a protracted industry fight.
RECENT CHANGE, 2 May 2024: It was revealed today that the Australian government has decided to tie transportation funding to the disclosure of hitherto classified data about the causes of road accidents.
The Australian Automobile Association (AAA) has launched a comprehensive campaign to exchange event data in an effort to reduce the nation's increasing road toll, and this step is part of that effort.
According to the AAA, this is "the most significant national road safety reform in decades." when the news was made.
The AAA is glad that the government has taken the advice of Australian drivers, according to AAA Managing Director Michael Bradley.
To better understand what is going wrong, we need statistics regarding the causes of accidents, the quality of roads, and the efficiency of traffic police. The toll is growing, and more than 100 people die on Australian roads every month.
The federal government is planning to add a clause requiring the states to furnish a nationally-consistent data collection in its five-year budget contract for the first time.
The first authority to agree to make public its accident statistics is Queensland, as reported by Drive last week (below). Federal Transport Minister Catherine King used the news to "encourage the states which haven't indicated they will do so to now do the same."
"Addressing the absence of consistent road safety data will complement the work we have already done since we came to Government to improve road safety," Minister King said in a statement.
The Government also indicated it will be using next week’s Budget to spend $21 million in the National Road Safety Data Hub.
The need to report will take effect from 1 July this year.23 April 2024: Pressure is heating up on the Federal Government to connect road safety reform to state transport funds in an attempt to cut reduce the nation’s road toll.
The nation’s top driving authority, the Australian Automobile Association (AAA), has announced that the number of deaths on our roads has grown by 8.2 per cent in the 12 months to the end of March - with 1286 fatalities recorded.
The newest data, published by the AAA, reveal fatalities in New South Wales are up 33 per cent, while in Victoria they have climbed by 13 per cent over the same time period.
In the days leading up to the 2022 Federal Election, Labor vowed to revamp road safety throughout the nation – but now the AAA warns the Government is running out of time to deliver its pledges.
At the time it announced it will “extract better quality road data from the states and territories in return for funding of road projects” but as far has failed to do so, despite the Commonwealth and all states and territories having a commitment to halve road fatalities by 2030.
As a consequence the AAA and others are now asking on the Government to specify how $50 billion of Commonwealth road funding will be given beyond 1 July 2024 as part of the impending National Partnership Agreement on Land Transport Infrastructure Projects.
“The continued rise in Australia’s road toll can’t be ignored any longer and the time has come for the Australian Government to fulfil its election promise and end the needless secrecy surrounding state-held road safety data,” said AAA Managing Director Michael Bradley in a statement.
“Australia needs a data-driven response to a problem killing more than 100 people every month, and as we enter another election year, it’s time our state and federal leaders showed their commitment to saving lives greater.”
At present, the data required to explain the surge in road fatalities is being gathered at a local level by state and territory governments – but so far only Queensland has consented (in principle) to share this hitherto confidential information.
The data, which has yet to be made public, covers the causes of automobile collisions, traffic policing and the state of roads to assist fight the rising road safety issue.
“I congratulate the Queensland Government for its commonsense approach. If other states adopt the same view, this will be Australia’s most significant safety reform for decades,” Mr Bradley added.
“I’m really keen to get as much of that information out there as we can; really keen to provide whatever we’ve got on our books from Department of Transport and Main Roads to the Federal Government and to anyone who it helps,” said Queensland Transport Minister Bart Mellish, speaking on ABC radio last week.
Momentum for change has intensified in recent weeks, with secret safety assessments concerning Queensland’s Bruce Highway acquired by the Federal Opposition via Freedom of Information law, writes the Courier Mail. The statistics indicated around 45 per cent of the state’s major roadway is rated at two stars or below out of five in terms of safety.
Last October, the AAA started its Data Saves Lives campaign, which is sponsored by the nation’s motoring clubs, and 18 national groups representing motorists, motorcyclists, truckers, pedestrians, physicians, insurers, road engineers and safety advocates.
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