The Federal Government’s move to improve data sharing on road trauma in the next five-year national road funding deal with the states and territories has been welcomed by the National Road Transport Association (NatRoad).
NatRoad Chief Executive Officer Warren Clark said the move was “both unprecedented and long overdue”.
“Queensland had already committed to sharing data and the Albanese Government should be congratulated for putting this forward to all the states and territories,” Mr Clark said.
“We now call on each of the states and territories to put lives first and ensure this new policy is agreed and implemented as soon as possible.
“Keeping data to themselves isn’t working and rising fatalities calls for immediate action.
“A nationally consistent data set will give everyone a better understanding of the causes of road crashes and will save lives.”
Mr Clark said NatRoad has advocated for consistent data sharing for years.
“Heavy vehicle operators are often first responders at road accidents and see the human cost of road trauma first-hand,” Mr Clark said.
“This is the first step towards fixing transparency issues surrounding the billions in tax-payers dollars spent on our road network, and ensuring we get better outcomes and save more lives.
“It should be followed by the introduction of road service level standards to provide more transparency around issues such as road safety design and the placement of rest areas.”
