The New South Wales road toll saw a reduction in the number of fatalities from heavy truck crashes in 2022.
Following 52 fatalities recorded in 2021, there were 46 fatalities from heavy truck crashes last year.
Despite the NSW Government stating that extreme weather events contributed to the increase in the number of road fatalities to 288, there were no individual figures reported on the matter.
However, it recently announced a $500 million funding under the Regional and Local Roads Repair Program dedicated to restoring roads damaged by months of wet weather.
In addition, the NSW Government said that the easing of COVID travel restrictions and increased business activities also played a part in NSW’s road fatalities in 2022.
Fatigue is one of the leading killers on roads which contributed to 14 per cent of these deaths.
Transport for NSW Deputy Secretary of Safety, Environment and Regulation, Tara McCarthy, said that although the overall road toll was up from 2021’s 100-year-low figure, it is below pre-COVID levels of an average 363 deaths a year between 2017 and 2019.
“In 2022, as many people returned to the roads and worked on shaping their new normal after two years of COVID restrictions, NSW faced a fresh set of challenges, with record rainfalls battering many parts of the state,” she said.
“Sadly, these factors contributed to an increase in the road toll to 288 from the historic low of 275 recorded in 2021.”
Fatalities in metropolitan and country NSW climbed to 88 and 200 in 2022 but remained below the 2017-19 pre-COVID average.
Deaths among passengers increased from 29 in 2021 to 43 in 2022 and pedestrians from 41 to 48.
There were 134 deaths among drivers up from 133 in 2021, and 55 motorcyclist deaths compared to 63 in 2021.
There was also an increase in the number of females killed during the year. While there were 63 in 2021, 2022 saw 77 killed.
For males fatalities remained steady with 211 in 2022, down from 212 the year prior.
For the first time since records began in 1936, there were no recorded deaths in 2022 among children aged under five years old.
Following these increases, the NSW Government is committed to achieving its goal of zero deaths or serious injuries by 2050.
“We are determined to make journeys in the regions safer for all road users and have already invested $640 million since 2018 as part of the Safer Roads Program’s Saving Lives on Country Roads Initiative to build critical safety infrastructure, such as wide centre lines and life-saving flexible safety barriers, to help prevent run-off-road and head-on crashes,” McCarthy said.
“The road toll isn’t just a number. It’s someone’s mum, dad, son, daughter, partner, or friend.
“Any death or serious injury is one too many and the NSW Government is continuing to roll out plans to help drive down our toll.”
Wingecarribee and the Central Coast local government areas (LGAs) had the highest number of fatalities in 2022.
Wingecarribee recorded 13 fatalities, and Central Coast had nine people killed.