Extract from ABC News
On the front lines of treating the aftermath of car accidents in Western Sydney, surgeon Dr John Crozier does not see the road toll as just a statistic.
It's a reminder of what's at stake every time Australians get into a vehicle.
"We call it a toll. It's actually a tragedy," Dr Crozier said.
"The cumulative effect of 100 dead every month, and 100 hospitalised every day — it's an epidemic. A tragic epidemic."
Five years ago, Dr Crozier helped lead the inquiry into the National Road Safety Strategy. Since then, he says, there's been backsliding on proven methods to reduce the road toll.
"We can't ignore the facts, and we are seeing a significant increase in death rates around the country," Dr Crozier said.
For much of the past four decades, Australia made steady progress on the road toll — from 2,800 people died in road accidents in 1989 to 1,094 by October 2020.
But as the nation emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, the road toll started to increase.
By November this year, 1,253 people had been killed in road accidents in the previous 12 months — a 6.3 per cent increase compared to the previous year.
"What we're seeing around the country in pretty much every state and territory is the numbers are going up instead of down. And that's been happening for the last few years," said Ingrid Johnston, CEO of the Australasian College of Road Safety.
"So, since COVID … basically, they're going in the wrong direction."
More cars on the road leads to crashes
Jason Thompson, an associate professor at Melbourne University, said the uptick in crashes was linked to an increase in people driving.
He compared that to the number of road deaths around the country each month and to domestic fuel use and found a correlation.
"When there are more cars on the road, we get more crashes," Dr Thompson said.
"The correlation is almost one to one."
Dr Thompson, who is a member of the university's Transport, Health and Urban Systems Research Lab, said there was evidence to show people bought cars during the pandemic to avoid infection on public transport.
"When COVID struck, a lot of people avoided travelling altogether and the road toll went down, but when we started getting around again, mode share shifted away from public transport and went heavily toward private cars," he said.
"The pandemic 'finished' and suddenly the amount of road traffic has skyrocketed.
"All around the world we have seen a similar pattern – especially in Western countries and cities designed for motor vehicles."
Reduction in random breath testing
Dr Crozier believes there are two notable factors at play when it comes to driving up the road toll.
"Speed is still the major reason why people either get killed or seriously injured in crashes," he said.
He also pointed to a drop in the number of random breath tests administered by police.
"We've seen a significant reduction in random breath testing in most of the states in Australia. And hand in glove with that, we've had an increasing rate of alcohol as a part of the variable in the … crash."
Before the pandemic in 2019, more than 15 million random breath tests were conducted on Australian roads. By 2022, the number of tests had fallen to just over 10 million.
Recovery can be a lifelong struggle for crash survivors
Dr Crozier says although much of the safety focus is on fatalities, more than 60,000 Australians a year survive crashes on the roads. For many, recovery is a lifelong struggle.
"The constancy of the flow of these severely injured battered bodies is challenging," he said.
"We call them serious injuries. They are the survivors of the crashes. And it's a huge epidemic that largely goes unreported."
Terry Thomas is one of the injured who's spent years trying to rebuild his life. In August 2020, he stopped at an intersection as the light turned amber. The heavy vehicle driving behind him didn't.
"I play it every day like a movie in the front of my head," he said.
"I just remember I looked in the rear-view mirror. I was like, he's not going to stop. And you sort of brace yourself."
His body healed, but his memory hasn't.
Mr Thomas, 52, came to Australia in 2014 from Northern Ireland, but he has few memories of his time there since the accident.
He begins each day making lists on notepads. If he doesn't, not long after figuring out his plan for the day, he'd forget.
"I have lists for everything because I'm just so forgetful. You know, it's like I have my name on things at work because I keep on leaving things behind," he said.
"It's horrible … memories from childhood have sort of gone. And memories of growing up in Northern Ireland have gone.
"My father passed away a couple of months ago and I can't remember things about my childhood. I can't remember things about my wedding … that's the thing that's upset me most."
The injury drastically impacted Mr Thomas's life. He had trouble sleeping and his personality changed.
He admits he became difficult to live with and credits his wife and son for supporting him and pushing him to get help.
He's now focused on techniques that help him manage his condition, such as making frequent lists to get through the day.
But he says his injury is a reminder that for many, the impact of Australia's road toll will last a lifetime.
"I think a lot of people, when they get into a car, they're like, nothing's going to hurt them," he said.
"It just takes a wrong decision and your life … or somebody else's life, is just changed forever."
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