Australia heavy vehicle distraction crashes fall 32 per cent

The 2026 National Truck Accident Research Centre (NTARC) Major Incident Investigation Report indicates a 32 per cent decrease in major heavy vehicle crashes involving inattention or distraction over the past year. Compared to 2023, the inattention/distraction incident rate fell from 25.4 to 17.0 incidents per 10,000 heavy vehicles.

While distraction remains the leading human factor, accounting for 13.8 per cent of all major incidents in 2025, other safety trends showed improvement. Driver fatigue incidents decreased by 56.9 per cent, and failures to give way dropped by 60.8 per cent. Additionally, major loss claims exceeding $50,000 fell by 22.3 per cent.

Despite these declines, the report highlights a mixed safety landscape. Human factors overall accounted for 54.7 per cent of all incidents. While distraction rates fell, there were recorded increases in incidents related to inappropriate speed and inadequate following distance. The data, which includes 9,139 major-loss claims from 2019 to 2025, was developed through a partnership involving NTI, the National Road Safety Partnership Program, and the Monash University Accident Research Centre.