Submissions are open for an NSW inquiry to curb deaths on regional roads caused by unsafe driving.

The Joint Standing Committee on Road Safety announced the inquiry on 29 May and will probe what can be done to reduce crashes due to speeding, fatigue, drink and drug driving. 

Transport for NSW recorded 332 road deaths in 2024, 224 in country areas.

"Our regional friends are over represented," said Road Trauma Support Group NSW's interim board director Tom Daher, who advocates against illegal road acts.

"If you do have a crash on a regional road, it may take a lot longer for first response, first responders - police, ambulance paramedics - to arrive to administer lifesaving treatments. Regional hospitals may not be equipped fully to deal with head trauma.

"The other thing that contributes to it is many people feel that since there's no other cars on the road, you can speed a little bit more than what the speed limit is. And that is a recipe for disaster."

SOURCE: Transport for NSW 

He said they want the government to consider 'victim impact panels' where repeat driving offenders have to hear stories from families of road trauma victims to help "change their behaviour before it's too late."   

He also wants more policing and average speed cameras, and for the government to highlight complacency on regional road in its safety campaigning.

Inquiry submissions close on 25 July.

The government is aiming to halve road deaths and reduce serious injuries 30 per cent by 2030, with an "aspirational" target of zero fatalities by 2050.

However, Mr Daher said he doesn't think they are on track for the 2030 target given fatalities have trended upwards recent years.

Australian Road Safety Foundation's co-founder Russell White agrees and said he supports the inquiry "as long as it produces results."

"We'd want to make sure that it's not just a just a general discussion," Mr White said.

"What are we doing to educate the next generation of road users? What are we doing to address work related road safety? That's especially a huge thing in the in regional NSW.

"Media generally reports on the incident, but don't I think we deep dive. I don't think we ever really deep dive enough to go 'well, what's driving this?'"

Mr White also said reducing road trauma shouldn't only be left to government and police.

"We own the issue," he said.

"Government can facilitate - and certainly there's a role in infrastructure and all that - but ultimately the community has to figure out that we own it."

As at 6 June, 161 people have been killed on NSW roads in 2025, most of them men.