“This is a national tragedy and there are serious concerns that authorities lack accountability on achieving their own road safety targets,” the executive director of the peak national motoring body, Andrew McKellar, said.

In the calendar year 2012, 1300 people died on the nation’s roads compared to 1277 in the previous year – an increase of 1.8 per cent. In the ACT, road fatalities increased by 100 per cent, from six to 12 – the worst percentage result in the nation.

“The National Road Safety Strategy aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 30 per cent by 2020 and at this rate Australia is at risk of falling behind the target,” Mr McKellar said.

“The area in which governments can have the most direct impact is to improve the quality and safety of the roads and that involves significant investment in road infrastructure,” he said.

All jurisdictions except Victoria and SA recorded an increase in fatalities during 2012.

The results were: NSW,  370 deaths – up from 364 (1.6%); Queensland, 279 deaths – up from 269 (3.7%); WA, 185 deaths – up from 180 (2.8%); Tasmania, 33 deaths – up from 24 (37%); NT, 48 deaths – up from 44 (9.1%) and the ACT, 12 deaths – up from 6 (100%).