Australia's $150 million Black Spot road safety program criticised as ineffective

The federal Black Spot program, funded with about $150 million a year to fix dangerous road sites, is being described by veteran road‑safety advocates as politicised and lacking accountability. Donald Gibb, who helped introduce mandatory seat‑belts and random breath testing, called the scheme "window dressing" and a "feel‑good exercise" for politicians. John Crozier, former chair of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons trauma committee, said the process is "opaque".

Their analysis shows that some regions of Victoria, despite high numbers of fatalities and serious injuries, received little funding, while other areas with fewer deaths were allocated millions for few projects. Government officials and the Department of Infrastructure defended the programme as rigorous, but the critics argue that the lack of a transparent, scientific approach has eroded Australia’s road‑safety culture.

The experts warn that the current model is no longer fit for purpose and calls for reforms to ensure money is spent where it can best reduce the roughly one road death every two days reported in the country.