NSW road toll down but speeding up in 2020

Deaths on NSW roads were at a record low in 2020, but police are ‘dis­appointed’ by the number of speeding offences recorded over the Christmas-New Year period.

Deaths on NSW roads were at a record low in 2020 due to the lockdowns, but police are “dis­appointed” by the number of speeding offences recorded over the Christmas-New Year period.

A total of 297 people were killed on the roads last year, 56 less than in 2019, the lowest road toll in almost 100 years.

However, some 9500 infringement notices were issued by police for speeding from December 24, 2020, to January 3, 2021 — up 650 from the same ­period the year prior.

“I know the majority of people were excited to see the back of 2020 and it appears as though we travelled at speed into 2021,” Traffic and Highway Patrol Command Acting Assistant Commissioner Stephen Hegarty said. “We asked road users to take care over the holiday season and we praise those who did the right thing, but let’s continue to make good choices to ensure we all get home safely.”

The state recorded more speed-related deaths last year than in the three prior years. Fifty-seven per cent of road fatalities in 2020 were related to speeding, compared to 38 per cent in the previous year.

“We have seen a rise in speed-related fatalities and in the number of deaths of people not wearing a seatbelt, particularly during the pandemic,” Transport for NSW deputy secretary Tara McCarthy said.

“Speeding remains the leading contributor to fatal crashes on NSW roads, consistently contributing to around 41 per cent of road fatalities each year.”

Victoria recorded a low road toll in 2020 of 213 lives lost compared to 266 the year before.

However, Road Policing Command Assistant Commissioner Libby Murphy said the fatality rate per 10,000 vehicles on the road was significantly higher than previous years.

Concerning behaviours such as speeding were over-represented in 2020, she said, describing the number of cars travelling over 145km/h as “staggering”, in part because there were fewer cars on the road due to the state’s 112-day lockdown.

“We all know just that little bit over will kill people,” Ms Murphy said on Monday. ”The higher the speed, the more likely you are to kill someone.”

Thirty-four per cent of fatalities involved speeding, 32 per cent involved drug use and 21 per cent involved misuse of alcohol.

Meanwhile in Queensland, the road toll was up, with 57 more people losing their lives in 2020 — a total of 276 — than in 2019.