A wave of fatal crashes across Western Australia in early July has pushed the state’s year-to-date road toll to its highest level in nearly two decades.
This has prompted renewed calls for drivers to take greater responsibility behind the wheel.
From Perth’s southern suburbs to the South West and Great Southern, lives were lost in a series of devastating collisions that unfolded in just a matter of days.
Among them was a woman in her 60s who later died in hospital after a serious crash on Canning Highway in Alfred Cove on Friday, July 4.
Main Roads WA confirmed the crash was caused by a medical episode, with a man in his 60s also injured in the incident.
Just hours earlier, a 40-year-old man died when his sedan collided with a truck on Neaves Road in Mariginiup.
Thirty minutes later, a 51-year-old pedestrian was killed after being struck by a vehicle on Phillips Road in Mundaring. Later that morning, emergency services responded to a single-vehicle crash in Serpentine, where the male driver died at the scene.
The same weekend, a utility driver died after veering off the road and crashing into a tree in East Rockingham.
Police are continuing their investigation.
Other fatal incidents included a deadly motorcycle collision in Australind, a police pursuit crash in Wattle Grove, and a single-vehicle crash in Meadow Springs on Thursday, July 10, where the driver died at the scene.
In Albany, a 57-year-old woman died in hospital after a hit-and-run collision on Hardin Road in Spencer Park on Wednesday, July 9. Police are still investigating the incident.
As of July 9, 112 lives have been lost on WA roads this year, 16 more than at the same point in 2024 and 26 more than in 2023. The last time the mid-year toll was this high was in 2007.
Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner said the causes of road deaths remain complex, but five key behaviours continue to appear across fatal crash investigations: speeding, failure to wear seatbelts, fatigue, alcohol or drug impairment, and distraction.
“There are over 2.1 million licenced drivers on our roads and 2.1 million answers to the question of why this year’s year-to-date road toll is the worst in 18 years,” he said. “We need drivers to connect with the reality that their choices behind the wheel matter.”
Main Roads WA confirmed that none of the recent crash locations are currently identified as black spots. A spokesperson said the state’s roads are built to meet national standards and that current infrastructure is not the primary concern.
“Our roads are built to standard. It’s up to drivers to do the right thing,” they said. “We’re not currently reviewing signage or speed limits at these locations. It’s people’s behaviour that’s putting lives at risk.”
The spokesperson also confirmed that police follow an established process after every fatal crash, investigating all contributing factors and circumstances.
WA Police noted that investigations into each of the recent fatal crashes are ongoing. A spokesperson said the force remains committed to targeting the behaviours known as the Fatal Five (speeding, failure to wear a seatbelt, distraction, driving under the influence, and fatigue) which continue to be overrepresented in serious and fatal crashes.
In 2024, 188 people were killed on Western Australian roads, and more than 1,400 were seriously injured.
Sixty-one percent of fatalities occurred in regional areas, where higher speed zones increase the likelihood of serious outcomes in crashes. While the number of serious injuries decreased last year, the rise in deaths means WA is not on track to meet its road safety targets for 2030.
As part of its broader effort to influence road safety culture, the Road Safety Commission has partnered with SportWest in a four-year campaign targeting young drivers through sporting clubs. The goal of the initiative is to promote safer attitudes and behaviours through leadership and education programs across thousands of local teams.
“We are taking positive steps,” Mr Warner said.
“But we cannot simply engineer our way to zero. This comes down to road user behaviour; our perception of risk, and the choices we make every day.”
He added that all the deaths are preventable if people made safer choices.
WA Police said officers maintain a high-visibility presence on roads across the state and can be “anywhere, anytime.” Drivers are encouraged to report unsafe behaviour and play their part in preventing future tragedies.
With the road toll continuing to climb, authorities are urging all road users to slow down, stay alert, and remember that safety begins with them.
