The Australian Automobile Association (AAA) has urged the federal government to fund a pilot study of no-blame investigations into transport deaths.
Cyclist deaths rose by 4.4% in the 12 months to 31 March 2026, while pedestrian deaths surged by 16.4%.
The grim figures mark the 34th consecutive month that national 12-month death totals rose, with a 20.9% rise in road deaths since the federal government introduced its 2021 road safety strategy — which stated the aim of eliminating all deaths and serious injuries by 2050.
Crash deaths per 100,000 residents were worst in the Northern Territory, even though the number of deaths declined.
Tasmania had the second-highest death rate, followed by Western Australia, then Queensland.
The AAA says more insight is needed and is calling for plane crash-style investigations to probe the factors in these road deaths.
"Many observers have different theories about why road deaths are rising nationally and why they are worse in some states than others," said AAA managing director, Michael Bradley.
"We don't know who is right and we need more than guesswork to curb this growing crisis."
The increasing size of cars has been highlighted as a potential cause in the rising death toll, with four in five new cars sold nationally now SUVs or utes — more than double the market share 20 years ago.
Other factors to investigate include infrastructure planning, speed limits, risky driving and e-mobility devices.
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