The latest National Truck Accident Research Centre (NTARC) report has revealed a sharp rise in serious truck crashes across Australia, with human error now the dominant factor behind major incidents.
According to NTARC’s 2025 Major Accident Investigation Report, human factors accounted for more than 60 per cent of all major loss claims (over $50,000), overtaking environmental and mechanical causes combined.
The report analysed 1,767 major crashes in 2024, up from 1,634 the previous year, highlighting inattention and distraction as the leading cause – responsible for nearly 18 per cent of all cases.
Inadequate following distance and inappropriate speed followed, together making up another 18 per cent of human-factor crashes.
Two-thirds of distraction-related incidents, according to NTARC, involved single vehicles, reinforcing the need for operators to invest in driver awareness, fatigue management and in-cab distraction controls.
NTARC aims to provide data and insights to support improvements in heavy vehicle related safety and support a safe and productive road transport industry in Australia.
It is a partnership between transport and logistics insurer, NTI, a program that supports safety on roads and for vehicles as a workplace, NRSPP, and accident research institution, MUARC.
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