New research has found that vehicle air pollution is attributable to almost 2000 premature deaths a year, hundreds more than the annual fatalities recorded on the road.
Air pollution from motor vehicles is responsible for more premature deaths each year than the national road toll, a new study has claimed.
Research conducted at the Centre for Safe Air through the University of Tasmania and published in the journal Environmental Research, says traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) is attributable to 1864 premature deaths annually.
It is 504 more lives than compared to the country’s road toll in the 12 months leading up to July 31, 2025, of 1360.
Prior research estimated that traffic pollution was responsible for 11,105 premature deaths in Australia, as well as 66,000 active asthma cases and 12,210 cardiovascular hospitalisations annually.
However, the earlier study was based on similar research conducted in New Zealand then extrapolated to Australia, and did not include a minimum threshold for exposure to air pollution, as seen in the latest data.
Motor vehicles are said to be responsible for 51 per cent of earlier-than-expected deaths from air pollution and is “the single largest source contribution to the mortality burden from air pollution in Australia.”
The Tasmanian study is the first of its kind in Australia to analyse the health impact of nitrogen dioxide (NO2); it also examines the effects of particulate matter (PM2.5).
These pollutants originate from the tailpipe emissions of motor vehicles, as well as through wear of brakes and tyres, and have been linked to health issues, such as lung and heart disease.
Researchers identified the concentrations of PM2.5 and NO2 in the air and, with data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, calculated the mortality rates of the population state-by-state.
New South Wales and Victoria, the country’s two most populous states, were found to be responsible for nearly three-quarters (72.5 per cent) of premature deaths attributed to TRAP in the country.
The study calls attention to the need to address this topic through legislation that supports low-emissions vehicles, including plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), electric vehicles (EVs), alongside public and active transport.
Calculated premature deaths in Australia by state and source type
| State | Traffic-Related Air Pollution (TRAP) | All-sources air pollution |
| New South Wales | 814 | 1237 |
| Victoria | 538 | 893 |
| Queensland | 206 | 765 |
| South Australia | 144 | 264 |
| Western Australia | 151 | 300 |
| Tasmania | 3 | 149 |
| Northern Territory | 2 | 28 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 7 | 49 |
| Nationwide* | 1864 | 3684 |
Ilana is a Melbourne-based journalist who was previously a copywriter in the Big Apple. Having moved to Melbourne for her Master of Journalism, she has written articles about food, farm machinery, fashion, and now the fast and furious. Her dream car has been a Mini Cooper since the fifth grade, eyeing its style and petite size.
