In July 2025, six people lost their lives in separate crashes in Western Australia all within a 48-hour period.

In 2024, there were 188 fatalities on WA roads, which was recorded as the worst year in nearly a decade, with 30 more deaths than in 2023.

For some years now WA has had one of the worst road fatality rates of any State. On average over the 2020 to 2024 period, three people were killed every week due to road trauma.

To help us unpack what’s been happening on WA roads, we spoke with Professor Teresa Senserrick, Director of the Western Australian Centre for Road Safety Research, and Dr Matthew (Tepi) Mclaughlin, Adjunct Research Fellow in the School of Human Sciences at the University of Western Australia.

00:00 Introduction to WA Road Fatalities

00:37 Expert Insights on Road Safety

01:20 Current Trends and Statistics

02:56 Factors Contributing to High Fatality Rates

04:04 Impact of Urban Sprawl and Car Dependency

04:45 Potential Solutions and Road Design

13:29 Behavioural Factors and Speeding

21:16 Cultural Aspects of Driving in WA

32:07 Public Health Insights

32:57 The Impact of Disinformation on Policy Support

33:21 Addressing Vulnerable Road Users

35:07 Pedestrian Safety and Infrastructure Challenges

38:31 Vehicle Choices and Road Safety

43:14 The Safe System Approach to Road Safety

49:33 The Role of Policy in Road Safety

54:23 Achieving Zero Road Deaths

01:02:40 Concluding Thoughts and Future Directions

Guests 

Professor Teresa Senserrick, Director of the Western Australian Centre for Road Safety Research

Dr Matthew (Tepi) Mclaughlin - Adjunct Research Fellow, School of Human Sciences, University of Western Australia

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The views expressed in this podcast are those of the individuals involved and may not be shared by the Royal Automobile Club of WA (Inc) or its related bodies corporate (together “RAC”) or any of its or their councillors, directors or employees.  This podcast is for general information and entertainment purposes only.  Listeners should not rely on the content as a substitute for independent advice.  References to a product should not be construed as an endorsement by RAC.  RAC accepts no liability for any reliance placed on the content.