Every year, thousands of Australians and New Zealanders lose their lives or suffer serious injuries in road crashes. In Australia alone, there were 1, 300 fatalities in 2024, an alarming increase over recent years, and tens of thousands of people are hospitalised with life-altering injuries such as traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, and amputations.
In Aotearoa New Zealand, the toll is similarly devastating. While the latest figures show a slight decrease, the country still averages one road death per day, and many others are seriously injured each week. The impact on individuals, families and communities is profound, with an immeasurable emotioal cost.
Surgeons and healthcare professionals witness firsthand the devastation of road trauma not only for the lives lost but also for the lifelong impacts on survivors and their families.
For decades, the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons has been vocal in the fight for safer roads by working closely with governments, industry, and communities across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand; including crucial advocacy for mandatory seatbelt laws in the 1970s, campaigns against drink driving and the promotion of helmet use for cyclists.
Despite these successes, progress has slowed and, in some areas, gone backwards. Too many preventable deaths and injuries continue to occur even with bold commitments under national strategies - Australia's Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 and Aotearoa New Zealand's Road Safety Objectives 2024.
RACS Trauma Chair Dr Matthew Hope emphasised that "Road Safety Week is an important opportunity to highlight the need for leadership and action. We have the knowledge and proven solutions; what remains is the commitment to implement and measure progress."
"Data collection and accountability are critical. Many life-saving measures are already identified, we just need to act on them. Until we treat road trauma as the epidemic it truly is, we will continue to see tragic losses year after year."
"While governments have a vital role to play, road safety is everyone's responsibility. This week reminds us that vigilance, responsibility, and ongoing commitment are essential. Together, we can work towards safer roads, prevent needless tragedies, and protect the lives of all who travel on them."
