Anthony Albanese urges vigilance and caution on roads amid horror death toll from crashes

All Australians need to be vigilant to tackle the rising road toll, Anthony Albanese says as he urges people to be cautious when travelling around Christmas.

The Prime Minister said three things could address the road toll: better infrastructure, driver behaviour and road safety laws.

“We need to be vigilant about this and we need to work towards it, not just as governments, but as a society as well,” he told reporters in Darwin on Tuesday.

“And that’s why at Christmas, part of what we can do is to give a message to people that every tragedy on our road causes heartache for loved ones, but when it occurs over the Christmas period, it is particularly heartbreaking because that trauma comes back every Christmas and reminds people of a tragedy at a time where we should be celebrating our relationships and our friendships.

“Every year, we see a spike in the road toll around Australia during this time, because there are more people on the roads, and there are some people on the roads who are less familiar with where they’re driving as well.”

He noted the number of deaths on Australian roads was rising again after a decline over the decade stemming from a road safety strategy he established as minister during the previous Labor government.

WA’s road toll for 2024 rose to 180 – the worst since 2016 – after another three people died in fatal crashes on Sunday.

Mr Albanese urged people to stick to speed limits, not drive if they were affected by drugs or alcohol, and not take risks behind the wheel.