Road safety
The ACT Government is committed to Vision Zero – that means no deaths or serious injuries on our road transport network. Vision Zero acknowledges that deaths and serious injuries on our roads are preventable; they are not an inevitability. It is a bold target, but if we all work together, it is possible to reduce road deaths and serious injuries to zero, and for the community to avoid the terrible heartbreak and costs associated with them. Vision Zero is the central philosophy guiding our approach to road safety.
Road safety is everyone’s responsibility, and efforts are required by government, the community and individuals. We are committed to investing in evidence-based road safety measures while being innovative in policy approaches to road safety and advances in road transport technology. Our goals are improved road safety on our road network, a continued reduction in trauma and deaths, and ultimately, the achievement of Vision Zero.
New road safety legislation
The ACT Government passed the Road Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 in June 2023. The Bill stamps out dangerous driving following Canberra’s worst annual road toll in a decade.
The changes give ACT Policing the power to immediately remove dangerous drivers and repeat offenders from the road by:
- issuing an immediate suspension notice for exceeding the speed limit by more than 45 kilometres per hour, and
- seizing and impounding a vehicle caught speeding more than 45 kilometres over the limit.
Penalties were also increased for people repeatedly engaging in racing and hooning behaviour. For more information on these changes see new laws to tackle dangerous driving.
In March 2022, dangerous driving laws were strengthened to reduce unsafe behaviours and the resulting injuries and deaths on our roads, particularly for pedestrians and cyclists. The legislative changes enhanced the penalty framework by strengthening the hierarchy of dangerous driving offences so that they better addressed the spectrum of harm that Canberrans can experience on our roads. The new laws also included changes to support the safe use of other certain transport modes, including e-scooters. For more information on these changes see stronger road safety laws to protect our road users.
More information about road safety can be accessed on the Access Canberra website.
