Victoria Road Crash Statistics 2026
Road deaths and crash injuries in Victoria in one place, with the source and date next to every figure.
Last updated: · Compiled and checked by Ahsan, Manager
In 2025, 291 people died on Victorian roads, and 5,914 people injured in road crashes were admitted to hospital with a Transport Accident Commission (TAC) claim. In 2026, 220 lives had been lost by 30 October, 27 fewer than at the same point in 2025.
The TAC (Transport Accident Commission) is the Victorian Government body that pays for treatment and support for people injured in transport accidents, and it publishes Victoria's official road toll figures. All figures below come from the TAC, which compiles fatality data from Victoria Police reports. The TAC revises figures as new reports arrive, so a total can change after it is first announced.
Key statistics
- 291 people died on Victorian roads in 2025, up 2.5% from 284 in 2024 (TAC, to 31 Dec 2025).
- 220 lives were lost in 2026 to midnight 30 October, down 10.9% from 247 in the same period of 2025 (TAC, to 30 Oct 2026).
- 267 people died in the 12 months to June 2026, 29 fewer than the 296 in the 12 months before (TAC, Jun 2026).
- 248 fatal crashes happened in the 12 months to June 2026, down from 279 (TAC, Jun 2026).
- 5,914 TAC claimants were admitted to hospital within 7 days of a crash in 2025, 12% more than the 5,294 in 2024 (TAC, Dec 2025).
- 739 of them (12.5%) stayed in hospital for more than two weeks (TAC, Dec 2025).
- 123 of the people killed in 2025 were drivers, the largest group of road users (TAC, 2025).
- 157 of 2025's deaths were in rural Victoria and 134 in Melbourne (TAC, 2025).
- 190 people were hospitalised after road crashes in the Greater Dandenong council area in 2025, level with Brimbank as the joint fifth highest of any Victorian council (TAC, Dec 2025).
- 3.73 road deaths per 100,000 people: Victoria's rate was the second lowest of any state or territory in the 12 months to June 2026 (TAC, Jun 2026).
- $2.25 million is the TAC's average payment for each serious injury, such as a traumatic brain or spinal injury, and $170,000 for each road death (TAC).
- Less than a third: Victoria's yearly road deaths are now less than a third of 1989's, yet more than 10,000 people have been killed on its roads since then (TAC).
How many people died on Victorian roads in 2025?
291 people died on Victorian roads in calendar year 2025, 7 more than the 284 in 2024 and above the five-year average of 253 (TAC lives lost, annual). When the year ended, the TAC first reported 288 deaths; later police reports raised the total to 291.
| Year | Lives lost |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 211 |
| 2021 | 234 |
| 2022 | 241 |
| 2023 | 295 |
| 2024 | 284 |
| 2025 | 291 |
How many people have died on Victorian roads in 2026?
220 people died on Victorian roads from 1 January to midnight 30 October 2026, compared with 247 in the same period of 2025, a fall of 10.9% (TAC lives lost, year to date). The TAC updates this count each working day.
| Road user | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drivers | 104 | 98 | −6 |
| Pedestrians | 47 | 42 | −5 |
| Passengers | 34 | 40 | +6 |
| Motorcyclists (incl. pillion) | 53 | 32 | −21 |
| Bicyclists | 8 | 6 | −2 |
Who is killed in Victorian road crashes?
Drivers are the largest group: 123 of the 291 people killed in 2025 were driving. Motorcyclists (61), pedestrians (52) and passengers (45) followed, then bicyclists (9) (TAC, 2025). Passenger deaths rose most sharply, from 30 in 2024 to 45.
| Road user | 2024 | 2025 | 5-year average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drivers | 127 | 123 | 115 |
| Motorcyclists | 63 | 61 | 49 |
| Pedestrians | 48 | 52 | 39 |
| Passengers | 30 | 45 | 37 |
| Bicyclists | 12 | 9 | 12 |
Are crashes deadlier in Melbourne or rural Victoria?
More people die on rural roads, even though most Victorians live in Melbourne. In 2025, 157 people died in rural Victoria and 134 in Melbourne (TAC, 2025). Serious injuries are the other way round: in 2025, the TAC recorded 3,845 hospitalised claimants in Melbourne (up 16%) and 2,025 in rural Victoria (up 6%) (TAC, Dec 2025).
How many people are seriously injured in road crashes?
5,914 TAC claimants were admitted to hospital within 7 days of a road crash in 2025, 620 more (12%) than in 2024. Of them, 739 stayed more than two weeks, 66 more than the year before. Single-vehicle crashes alone led to 1,224 hospital admissions (TAC road safety statistical summary).
What do the figures show for Dandenong and south-east Melbourne?
Several south-east council areas are among Victoria's highest for crash injuries. The TAC counts these by local government area (LGA), using raw numbers rather than rates per head of population (TAC, Dec 2025 and Jun 2026):
| Council area | Hospitalised, 2025 | In hospital 14+ days, 2025 | Deaths, 12 months to Jun 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casey | 305 | 31 | 10 |
| Greater Dandenong | 190 | 15 | 6 |
| Monash | 139 | 15 | 9 |
| Kingston | 117 | 18 | Not in the TAC's top list |
| Frankston | 104 | Not in the TAC's top list | 0 |
| Knox | Not in the TAC's top list | Not in the TAC's top list | 11 |
Cardinia and Frankston were among the ten council areas with no road deaths in the 12 months to June 2026.
How does Victoria compare with the rest of Australia?
Victoria had 3.73 road deaths per 100,000 people in the 12 months to June 2026, the second-lowest rate of any state or territory; only the ACT was lower, at 3.07. Measured by vehicles, that's 0.46 deaths per 10,000 registered vehicles (TAC, Jun 2026).
What does road trauma cost?
The TAC pays an average of $170,000 for each road death and $2.25 million for each serious injury. In 2021/22 it paid $1.54 billion in benefits and compensation to more than 43,000 people, funded by the TAC charge in every vehicle registration (TAC: what we do). The TAC covers injuries under a no-fault scheme, which means it pays for treatment whoever caused the crash. Damage to your car is a separate matter for your car insurer or the at-fault driver's insurer.
Is Victoria's road toll going down?
Over the long term, yes: yearly deaths are now less than a third of 1989's level (TAC statistics). The Victorian Road Safety Strategy 2021–2030 aims to halve road deaths by 2030 and eliminate them by 2050 (TAC). The recent trend is mixed: deaths rose from 241 in 2022 to 295 in 2023, and 2026 is tracking below 2025.
What should you do if you're in a crash?
Check for injuries and call 000 if anyone is hurt. Then swap details with the other driver and take photos. Our step-by-step guide covers what to do after a car accident, and the insurance claims guide explains how car damage claims work in Victoria. If another driver caused the crash, we handle not-at-fault accident repairs and claims from our Dandenong workshop, with towing arranged 24/7.
How is this page kept up to date?
We refresh this page when the TAC publishes its six-monthly road safety statistical summary (June and December figures) and at the start of each year for the annual total. Every figure is copied from the TAC page linked beside it, and the date of each figure is stated. Spot a figure that has changed? Email admin@ssautomotive.com.au. You're welcome to cite this page; please also link to the TAC source. Read how we check our content in our editorial policy.
Sources
- TAC: Lives lost, annual (calendar year to 31 December 2025), checked 1 November 2026
- TAC: Lives lost, year to date (to midnight 30 October 2026), checked 1 November 2026
- TAC: Road safety statistical summary (12 months to June 2026; hospitalisations to December 2025), checked 1 November 2026
- TAC: What we do (costs and benefits paid), checked 1 November 2026
- TAC: Statistics (long-term trend since 1989), checked 1 November 2026
- TAC: Too many lives lost on our roads in 2025 (first announced 2025 total), checked 1 November 2026