VICTORIA — In 2025, 288 lives were lost on Victoria’s roads, compared to 284 lives lost in 2024.
“Road safety will remain a key focus for Victoria Police in 2026 following another tragic year on the state’s roads.
“It’s been another challenging year on Victoria’s roads – the numbers are devastating, but let’s not forget that behind every number is a human life,” Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said.
While the provisional number of lives lost is higher than last year, it came in slightly below 2023, when 295 lives were lost.
2023 recorded a 15-year high for road fatalities. The previous high was 303 lives lost in 2008.
Single-vehicle fatal collisions decreased slightly in 2025, whilst multiple fatality collisions increased with 14 double fatalities, three triple fatalities and a quadruple fatality in 2025, resulting in the deaths of 41 people, compared to 13 double fatalities in 2024.
Vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, motorcyclists, pillion passengers, bicyclists and e-riders made up more than 40 per cent of all lives lost on Victorian roads in 2025.
Fifty-two pedestrians were killed, which is the highest number of pedestrian deaths in 17 years, since 59 were recorded in 2008, whilst the number of motorcyclists killed decreased from 66 in 2024 to 59 in 2025.
Driver fatalities made up 42 per cent of all lives lost during 2025, with 121 driver deaths compared to 127 in 2024.
Around half of the lives lost occurred on regional roads, with 147 fatalities recorded. This was similar in 2024, with 146 fatalities recorded.
There were 141 lives lost on metropolitan roads, slightly up from 138 in 2024.
May 2025 was the deadliest month on Victoria’s roads with 38 lives lost, followed closely by 36 in January.
Police have identified that single acts of non-compliance or people making basic driving errors contributed to more than half of the 2025 fatalities.
These behaviours include low-range speeding, lower-level drink driving, failing to obey road signs, and distractions such as using a mobile phone while driving.
There has been an increase in lives lost as a result of head-on collisions with another vehicle, with failing to keep left being the most common factor in head-on fatalities.
This indicates that drivers are drifting out of their lane into oncoming traffic, most likely due to inattention, distraction, or fatigue.
At least 10 per cent of people killed in vehicle collisions weren’t wearing a seatbelt.
Speed has been a factor in at least 30 per cent of fatal collisions in 2025 and remains the highest contributing factor in road trauma.
Police are determined to drive down road trauma in 2026 and are urging all road users to consider their actions and behaviours when getting behind the wheel this year.
Victoria Police will continue to work closely with its road safety partners to reduce the number of fatal and serious injury collisions.
Police will continue to prioritise road policing enforcement with several statewide operations to be conducted throughout the year.
Roadside alcohol and drug testing will be a major focus, with motorists being warned to expect to be tested at any time and in any location.
Victoria Police conducts three million preliminary breath tests every year and has been recently funded by the Transport Accident Commission to increase roadside drug testing by an extra 25,000 tests to 175,000 annually.
“In 2026, Victoria Police will continue to work with our road safety partners to drive down road trauma, and our focus will be on remaining highly visible across the state’s roads to detect and deter offending,” Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir said.
For more information and tips for staying safe on the roads, visit the Road Safety page on the Victoria Police website.
The 2025 figures released by Victoria Police today are provisional.
