Tasmania has experienced its deadliest month on the roads since 2009, with 11 people killed in April alone, authorities have revealed.
The grim toll brings the state’s road fatalities for 2025 to 20, with the April figures marking the first time Tasmania has recorded double-digit road deaths in a single month in 15 years.
Road Safety Advisory Council Chair Scott Tilyard said the deaths spanned all regions of the state.
“In April alone, two people were killed in the north-west region, four people were killed in the north and five were killed in the south,” he said.
“These people were aged between 13 and 86. Nine of those killed were male and two were female.”
“11 fatalities in one month is a tragic milestone that we do not want to reach and a powerful reminder that we cannot afford to become complacent.”
The toll comes after concerning results from Tasmania Police’s Easter operation, during which four lives were lost on the state’s roads.
Police conducted 7,596 random alcohol tests and 135 drug tests during the Easter period, resulting in 27 drink driving offences and 47 positive drug tests.
591 drivers were caught speeding and 21 on their phones.
Tasmania Police Road Safety Coordinator Inspector Justin Lawson expressed frustration at the continued risky behaviour on roads.
“While many people are doing the right thing, our recent Easter operation shows that too many still make reckless choices behind the wheel,” Lawson said.
“Emergency services frequently see the devastating consequences of crashes – lives lost or forever changed in an instant, affecting families, friends and communities.”
Tilyard said despite government efforts to improve road infrastructure, individual choices remain critical to road safety.
“Every risky decision – speeding, even if it’s only a few kilometres over the limit or driving too fast for the conditions, driving impaired, using a phone, not wearing a seatbelt or driving tired – undermines a safe system,” Tilyard said.
