Drivers urged to be cautious as South West road fatalities double the number recorded in first half of 2025

“Sad” and “disappointing” — those are the words used by South West crime inspector Andy Elliott with the South West seeing double the number of fatalities recorded on roads this year compared to the same time in 2025. “There’s been a significant shift as far as people being responsible on the road and people behaving appropriately and people paying attention, which are all elements that cause fatal crashes,” he said. It comes as a release from RAC stated Western Australia was heading towards more than 200 annual road fatalities for the first time since 2008, with 110 recorded to date. Speaking to the Times, Det-Insp. Elliott said there had been 20 people killed on South West roads this year, exactly double the number of fatalities recorded the same time last year. In 2025, the total number of fatalities on South West roads was 23, three less then the number to date. Although he could not “put his finger on” the reason for the surge in road fatalities, Det-Insp. Elliott said it reflected the five main causes of fatal crashes, better known as the fatal five. This includes speeding, impairment through alcohol or drugs, distraction, fatigue and failure to wear a seatbelt. With school holidays starting next week, Det-Insp. Elliott’s message to road users was simple. “Pay attention, adhere to the rules and get somewhere safe,” he said. “So if it takes you an extra 20 minutes across a two-hour drive, so be it. “You can’t put a price on someones life.” Det-Insp. Elliott encouraged people to report dangerous driving to Crime Stoppers, WA Police or in a life-threatening situation, triple zero. “We can’t be everywhere,” he said. “We need eyes on the street and that’s where the community comes in. “If they can be somewhere and they can report this sort of dangerous behaviour, we can put a stop to it.” RAC head of communications Rhys Heron said WA was one of the worst States for road trauma, with regional communities marking some of the most dangerous places to drive. “With Western Australia’s road fatalities soaring, we can’t afford to treat safety as someone else’s responsibility,” he said. “Every one of us has a role to play by slowing down, staying alert, and looking out for each other on every stretch of road.”