Australia’s road fatality rate has fallen below five deaths for every 100,000 people for the first time.



But deaths of drivers 65 years and over have increased by 13% over the past 12 months, the federal government says, and cyclists continue to face danger.

The record overall low follows a 9% reduction in road deaths over that period, according to statistics from the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics.

Road deaths have fallen over the past five years by varying degrees in different states – ranging from 13% in Victoria to 38% in the Australian Capital Territory. Deaths of young adults aged between 17 and 25 have fallen in that time by 48%.

“Every death on our roads is a terrible tragedy – not only for families and friends who are directly affected, but for local communities and the broader Australian economy,” the assistant infrastructure minister, Jamie Briggs, said on Monday.

Over the year to 1 July, 1,157 people died on Australian roads. Bicycle deaths have increased over the past two years.