Record year of road safety spending

• We had our highest annual spend on road safety upgrades across Western Australia
• More than $300 million was spent across four of our largest road safety programs,
• 96 projects were completed over the year, with a further 128 projects underway

More than $300 million was spent on four, key road safety programs in the last twelve months making our roads safer for motorists.

Each of these programs focus on treatments and improvements minimising road factors contributing to road trauma. They are:

• Regional Road Safety Program
• State Black Spot Program
• Safer Roads Program
• Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program.

During the year we have completed 96 road safety upgrade projects and a further 128 projects are underway on both state and local roads. Some of the upgrades completed through the programs include installation of audible edge lines, widening and sealing of road shoulders, removing roadside hazards, improving sight distances and upgrades to the network to create a more productive and forgiving road environment.

Projects undertaken through the Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity Program provide driver fatigue management rest areas and enhanced heavy vehicle networks across the State.

We are committed to providing improved safety outcomes for all users of the road network and our road safety programs deliver vital improvements to our roads across the state. They are a critical component of working towards the ambitious target set out in the Driving Change 2020 - 2030 Road Safety Strategy for Western Australia. This strategy seeks to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads by at least 50% by 2030 and eliminating serious trauma by 2050.

There were 158 road fatalities for Western Australia in 2023, down from the six-year high of 175 in 2022. From 2022 to 2023 we saw a 9% reduction in the annual road fatality rate, from 6.3 to 5.5 persons per 100,000 population.

We continue to work with other state agencies, local governments and federal counterparts to further reduce major road safety risks on the network. However, we have seen an unfortunate and sad increase in fatalities since the beginning of the year, which is a reminder to us all that there is still more work ahead to improve road safety.

You can read more about our road safety programs and initiatives on our website.