Human error continues to be the biggest threat to Australia’s heavy vehicle drivers, with distraction, following distance and inappropriate speed behind more than half of all major incidents in 2024, according to the latest NTARC Major Incident Investigation Report.
The annual report, produced by the National Road Safety Partnership Program (NRSPP) in partnership with NTI and the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC), analysed six years of insurance claim data covering more than 110,000 heavy vehicles nationwide.
It found that incidents involving human factors occurred at a greater rate than all other causes combined. Together, the top three causes – inattention or distraction, inadequate following distance, and inappropriate speed – accounted for 60.9 per cent of all human-factor crashes.
Inattention and distraction were the leading contributors, responsible for 17.9 per cent of all heavy vehicle crashes. While rates fell slightly in 2024 after a sharp rise the previous year, these incidents remain the most frequent and unpredictable on Australian roads.
Inadequate following distance was the second-largest cause, making up 9.2 per cent of all major crashes, with the rate of increase starting to stabilise. These incidents were heavily concentrated in urban areas, particularly in stop-start city traffic where close interactions between trucks and light vehicles increase the likelihood of rear-end collisions.
Inappropriate speed, defined as travelling at a speed unsuitable for the road, load or weather conditions, accounted for 8.6 per cent of incidents – a stable rate that has not risen in line with total crash growth. The majority of these crashes involved articulated vehicles losing control on curved roads, often leading to rollovers.
Encouragingly, fatalities involving both heavy vehicle drivers and other road users declined in 2024. First-party (driver) fatalities dropped 47.5 per cent, while third-party deaths fell 16.7 per cent. However, incidents where both parties died more than doubled, with most being head-on collisions.
The report also revealed a 98.9 per cent surge in theft-related claims and an overall 8.3 per cent increase in major losses – defined as incidents costing over $50,000.
NTARC said the findings reinforce the need for continued focus on driver attention, safe spacing, and speed management, alongside greater collaboration between government, researchers and industry to reduce heavy vehicle trauma.