A crash on Christmas has left a man dead

A 74-year-old man sadly succumbed to injuries sustained in a Christmas Day car crash, marking the 60th life lost on Territory roads this year.

The Northern Territory has recorded its worst year on the roads since 2008 after a Christmas Day car crash claimed the life of a man in his 70s, taking the road toll to 60.

The single vehicle crash occurred on Wheewall Road in Berry Springs about 7pm on Christmas Day, with St John Ambulance transporting a man to Royal Darwin Hospital in a critical condition.

 Superintendent Rick Magree told this masthead initial information suggested alcohol was a factor in the latest road fatality.

“That’ll be determined through toxicology reports, but at this stage we believe alcohol was a factor,” he said.

NT Police said the 74-year-old man succumbed to his injuries in hospital on Sunday night and they were investigating the circumstances of the crash, with a report to be prepared for the Coroner.

The fatal accident comes after the federal and Territory governments announced a massive cash splash to improve road safety.

Infrastructure Minister Bill Yan said the funding would help “prevent fatal and serious injury crashes for everyone travelling on Territory roads”.

Deputy Chief Minister Gerard Maley’s thoughts were with those affected by road deaths.

“Not only that person passes away, but it affects the family and friends of that person. I was driving past a shrine just the other day and there were people there mourning and I felt sorry for them,” Mr Maley said.

“It is a national disgrace and it is really high in the Northern Territory.”

Data suggests drugs and alcohol — not road infrastructure — remain the biggest factor in road fatalities.

Mr Magree said alcohol and drugs were a significant factor in the 60 fatalities this year.

“Seventy-five per cent of fatalities on Territory roads this year have involved alcohol and drugs,” he said.

Mr Magree was frustrated with Territorians who were not listening to NT Police.

“It’s truly disappointing,” he said.

“The message is so simple and yet people aren’t listening to us at all.”

Nearly 10,000 people have been tested for alcohol and drug consumption under Operation Angove, Mr Magree said, with 45 arrested for alcohol and 35 for drugs since its launch.

Mr Magree said there would “definitely” be an increase in RBTs and drug testing in 2025.

“You’ll be seeing a very high visibility road police force next year,” he said.

“There’s a good chance you’re going to have an encounter with us in the near future, so let’s make sure it’s a positive one.”

A further breakdown of annual road safety data, sourced from Towards Zero and NT Police, reveals the finer details of the Territory’s shocking road toll.

Regional and rural roads continue to claim many Territorian lives, with data revealing nearly two-thirds of fatalities in 2024 occurred on rural roads.

Most deaths — 70 per cent — are motor vehicle accidents, with strikes on pedestrians forming a minority of fatalities.

Seventeen pedestrians were killed on Territory roads in 2024 — nine of them being non-Indigenous.

The largest demographic remains men, accounting for 40 of the 60 deaths this year.

In 2024, 16 young people under the age of 25 died on Territory roads.