Updated ,first published
Western Australia is on track to record more than 200 deaths on the state’s roads across the year for the first time since 2008, prompting urgent calls for a change in driver attitudes.
More than 110 people have died on WA roads between January and June, including a 41-year-old man who lost control of his car in Bullsbrook late Sunday morning, crashing into a tree.
And a 19-year-old man faced court in Geraldton on Friday, charged with murder over a fiery crash that claimed the life of a 29-year-old woman last week.
Rhys Heron, the head of communications at insurer RAC, said road deaths in WA had been at “crisis levels” for consecutive years.
“If we keep going the way we’re going, we will likely see more than 200 people killed on our roads for the first time in 18 years,” Heron said.
“We need to put an end to the complacency which has caused road fatalities to start rising again – every life lost is an unacceptable, preventable tragedy.”
Last year, 184 people died on WA roads, which followed 188 in 2024. Heron said WA was once the national leader in road safety but “for the past two decades, under successive governments, we have consistently been one of the worst”.
“WA’s current road deaths per capita are the highest of any state in the nation,” he said.
“These are real people whose lives have been cut short, and their families and loved ones left to deal with the devastating consequences.
“It’s crucial road users slow down, ditch the distractions and focus on arriving safely.”
A WA Road Safety Commission spokesperson said the issue was complex, challenging, constantly changing, “and it requires a unified community-driven approach to reduce fatalities”.
“Any fatality on WA roads is unacceptable,” they said.
“The bottom line is WA drivers need to take more responsibility for their actions and plan ahead for any trip to make every journey safe.”
While the road toll has seen an uptick in 2026, the situation is still markedly different from the 1970s, when annual fatalities were more than 300 a year.
The government is tipping millions of dollars into regional point-to-point speed cameras over the coming years, alongside an investment in school zone speed enforcement and a plan to double the number of safety camera trailers on WA roads.
Heron said RAC welcomed government investment in road safety campaigns, enforcement and infrastructure, but more was needed for WA back to meet the targets of state and national road safety strategies.
“This includes securing Commonwealth funding for the full delivery of the Regional Road Safety Program on local roads,” Heron said.
“We also need to see an increased focus on Perth intersections, where one in two serious crashes occur, and funding provided to local governments and communities to support safer speeds.
“At a time when the Road Trauma Trust Account is receiving record levels of revenue, it is concerning that road deaths continue to rise.”
Road Safety and Police Minister Reece Whitby recently revealed that new AI cameras had detected some “extraordinary things … behind the wheel”, including a man reading a book and a woman breastfeeding a baby.
“That is insane,” Whitby said at the time.
“Who would do that? After all the publicity about fines and demerits, after the warnings, this is still happening.”
Whitby addressed the comments from RAC at a press conference on Wednesday morning, revealing WA had the highest rate of deaths per 100,000 people out of all the states, likely due in part to the vastness of the state.
“We have a very big geographical region, there’s a lot of country driving, but there’s no excuse,” he said.
“One [death] is too many. The death rate per 100,000 in Western Australia has reduced since 2007 It was over 11 per 100,000 now it’s six, but that’s no reason to rest.
“We’re seeing those real numbers increase as our population grows, and we have a strong economy, which puts more traffic on the roads. We need to do more.”
Whitby said he was looking at new initiatives “where we can be more flexible with our fines”.
“So we really go hard on those people that are doing the wrong thing and give a break to the people doing the right thing,” he said.
“The ask to drivers is you need to be responsible. We have safe roads and safe cars … but we still see single vehicle accidents, we still see a single car leave the road and hit a tree. What’s going on there?
“We will continue to do all we can, and I believe we need a tougher and tougher approach to offending on the roads, and I’m prepared to do that, but I also want drivers to do the right thing.”
Holly Thompson is a journalist with WAtoday, specialising in education and the environment.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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