Australian road toll rising as more used cars and expensive new cars hit the market

Koby Wellman died in a head-on collision and now his sister Chelsea describes how their family still lives with the grief. It comes as Australia’s road toll continues to rise.

Australia’s road toll continues to climb despite a revolution in crash-avoidance technology.

More than 1200 people have died on Australian roads in the past 12 months, 50 more than the previous year.

And experts believe this situation could get worse as cash-strapped Australians hold on to used cars for longer.

Figures published by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program show about three quarters of cars involved in fatal crashes are at least 10 years old, and that cars less than four years old account for only 10 per cent of accidents.

ANCAP chief executive Carla Hoorweg said that “while safety improvements continue to enter the fleet through the injection of newer, safer vehicles, older vehicles remain a problem.

“It is the older vehicles – those 10 years old or more – that are involved in the majority of fatal crashes,” Ms Hoorweg said.

“Current cost-of-living pressures on household budgets and global supply shortages and delays affecting the market are all contributing to vehicle owners holding onto their current vehicle for longer.

The Ford Ranger is Australia's most popular car in 2023.

“With the very positive advancements in vehicle safety that continue to be offered in new models, the elongation of vehicle ownership is likely to have a negative effect on road safety.”

ANCAP claims dozens of lives have been saved since 2019 by crash avoidance technology.

But the new tech is a double-edged sword.

Features such as auto emergency braking, radar cruise control, blind-spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert have made cars safer but also more expensive.

Prices for the Toyota Yaris hatchback rose by 44 per cent when the manufacturer introduced sweeping safety upgrades to its cheapest model.

Toyota’s most affordable car now costs more than $28,000 drive-away.

The previous-generation Volkswagen Polo hatchback started from $16,990 drive-away in 2017, but its newer, safer, replacement costs nearly $30,000 drive-away today.

Vehicle valuation service Redbook’s managing director Ross Booth said although it is difficult to track the length of vehicle ownership in Australia, a trend for postponed purchases “does make sense for some people due to the economic factors”.

“Affordability is a growing concern in new cars,” Mr Booth said.

The car industry reported strong sales for May.

Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Tony Weber said “a large proportion of vehicles delivered this month would have been ordered during 2022”.

“Since then, we have seen a shift in economic conditions with a focus on rising cost pressures for households and businesses,” Mr Weber said.

Road safety experts blame a wide variety of factors for the rising road toll, including poor driver attitudes, recent inclement weather and cost of living pressures that could compromise car safety.

Australian Road Safety Foundation chief executive Russell White said driver behaviour appears to have worsened following the coronavirus pandemic.

“We have to have a hard look at the human factors,” Mr White said.

“The roads haven’t become worse, the cars haven’t become less safe.

“There’s no doubt people have viewed a change in behaviour on the road,” he said.

“People make poor decisions that they might have been able to get away with 100 times, but one day they won’t.”

CARS ARE GETTING HEAVIER

Cars are getting bigger, heavier and more expensive.

The average price of Australia’s best-selling new cars has climbed from about $29,000 in 2013 to $39,000 in 2018 and more than $50,000 today.

The popularity of utes means our top selling vehicles weigh 300 kilos more than they did a decade ago.

And the vehicles, which are inherently less stable and agile than sedans and hatches, are finding their way into the hands of younger drivers on the second-hand market.

Top 10 cars 2013 2018 2023

Avg price $28543 $39098 $50085

Avg weight 1444kg 1646kg 1742kg

Chelsea Wellman with her parents. She lost her brother Koby in a crash on January 4, 2022.

‘THE TRAUMA IS UNTHNIKABLE’

Koby Wellman was more than a road toll statistic.

The young teacher’s aide was just 20 when he died in a head-on collision on January 4 last year.

His little sister Chelsea is still living with the grief.

“The trauma that comes with losing a loved one is unthinkable,” Chelsea said.

“Not only do you grieve the loss of your loved one, but you grieve all the things you are never going to have. Each day my family have to start the day with the realisation that this isn’t just a bad dream but in fact our new reality.

Car crash victim Koby Wellman.

Chelsea Wellman advocates for road safety after Koby’s death.

“My big brother that I have lived and grown up with for my whole life is no longer here. I have to struggle with the fact that my future kids will never get to meet ‘Uncle Kobes’ and will never know just how great he was.”

Koby was travelling to Melbourne from the rural town of Bairnsdale in East Gippsland to meet with an old friend.

“He was only an hour into his trip when he failed to see the car braking in front of him leading him to swerve onto oncoming traffic and have a head on collision with another car,” Chelsea said.

The deadliest period for motorists is in their early days of independence. More 19-year-olds have died on the roads than people of any other age in the past 10 years.

Older drivers are increasingly at risk, though.

The number of fatalities for road users aged 60+ in the first quarter of the year has increased by 33 per cent since 2013, while fatalities for road users under the age of 30 have dropped by 12 per cent.