About 110 Australians died on roads every month during the past year, in the deadliest period in more than a decade.
A 10.2 per cent spike in deaths in the year to July 31 meant 1327 people were killed on Australian roads, a figure that hadn't been achieved since October 2012.
Five Australian jurisdictions had an increase in deaths in the year to July 31 compared to the previous 12-month window, including a staggering 174 per cent jump in the Northern Territory.
Sixty-three people died in the NT in the period, compared to 23 in the window before.
NSW had a hefty 17.1 per cent jump, while Victoria's road toll spiked 9.3 per cent.
South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT were the only jurisdictions where the road toll fell.
The decade-long National Road Safety Strategy that aimed to halve road deaths by 2030 was nowhere near meeting its objectives, Australian Automobile Association managing director Michael Bradley said.
Since the strategy was implemented in 2021, road deaths had increased 17.4 per cent, Mr Bradley said.
“We are losing 110 lives each month and heading in the wrong direction at alarming speed," he said.
“These latest figures are not some kind of one-off, they represent an unacceptable trend."
Comparing year-on-year figures, it has been more than three years since Australia had a decline in road deaths.
The automobile association used the latest batch of figures to renew calls for more transparency around crash causes and road conditions to allow for a better understanding of what needs to be done to fix the crisis.
Federal Transport Minister Catherine King in May said revealing the secretive crash data would be part of negotiations around commonwealth funding.
"A clear picture, underpinned by data, about where best to target road safety funding will save lives and ensure we are investing in the projects that will make the biggest difference," Ms King said.
But Mr Bradley said those negotiations had not yet concluded and it was time for the states and territories to get on board.
“Data sharing will reveal which state’s road safety measures are the most effective, and the safety interventions that are most needed,” he said.
“That will not only save lives, but also clip the wings of pork-barrelling politicians by revealing whether governments are funding roads to save lives or win votes in marginal electorates.”
