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WA opposition leader Basil Zempilas has suggested a more graphic road safety advertising campaign could grab the attention of the state’s drivers and raise awareness of the dangers on our roads.
The comments follow a recent spate of fatal incidents on WA roads when 14 people lost their lives in the space of just two weeks.
By the end of last month, the state’s road toll had reached 127, tracking higher than the 121 deaths recorded during the same period in 2025 and the 101 fatalities by the same time in 2024. .
Zempilas called the current toll a “a shocking state of affairs” and made several suggestions to raise awareness of the importance of road safety.
“One of those is upping the graphic nature of the advertisements that take place for road safety,” he said.
“I’ve seen it in other jurisdictions. When I used to travel regularly to Victoria for work, their road safety ads are dialled up a significant number of notches to ours.
“They’re confronting, they’re graphic, and I think that is something well worth considering.
Zempilas said he believed the graphic nature of the stronger advertising would grab the attention of younger drivers and younger motorists.
“It provides and sparks conversations around the kitchen table about the graphic nature of what they’ve seen, and I really think that is worth considering,” he said.
Road Safety Minister Jessica Stojkovski said for road safety messaging to truly drive change, it must be more than just memorable, but also feel deeply personal and reflect the everyday realities of the people it seeks to reach.
“It is important that messages are informed by evidence and targeted to certain demographics, and crafted in a way that will resonate with them,” she said.
“A key focus of investment for us is prevention and education, and we are committed to looking at different ways we can get our message across.”
Zempilas also questioned the government’s use of artificial intelligence in speed cameras.
The advanced technology safety cameras, which went live in October, were responsible for the issue of 53,000 seatbelt fines in the first six months.
“We know that lots of people were captured by AI cameras, and the question has to be asked: Is that the right use of technology?” Zempilas said.
“Is it doing the job that it was intended to do? And 14 deaths in 14 days tells me what we’re doing at the moment is not having anywhere near the desirable effect.”
Stojkovski said the government is investing in stronger enforcement and improved technologies across Western Australia, including AI camera operations.
“Since this enforcement began in October 2025, we have seen a 78 per cent reduction in mobile phone and seatbelt offences,” she said.
“Safety on our regional roads is a priority for the Cook Labor Government with more than $13.9 billion invested in regional road upgrades since 2017.
“This includes investment in the Regional Road Safety Program, delivering important safety improvements on regional roads.”
Stojkovski added that her thoughts were with the families and loved ones impacted by these crashes.
“I want to thank our emergency services and community who were first to respond to what would have been a confronting scene,” she said.
“One death on our roads is one too many. These tragedies are a reminder that every decision we make behind the wheel could have unimaginable consequences.”
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