Newcastle and Central Coast local government areas are in the top five mostly costly locations in regional NSW when it comes to road trauma - more than $2 billion across the two council areas in five years - according to a new study from NRMA.
The motorists' watchdog released the data on Thursday, appealing to the federal and state governments to spend more on upgrades and maintenance of regional roads.
The study analyses crash data recorded between 2014 and 2018, using Transport for NSW average cost guidelines to put a dollar value on crashes across the state during the period.
It reflects resources used and damage caused in a given incident - factors such as the cost of emergency crews attending and damage to vehicles and the road.
Central Coast topped the regional NSW list, with a road trauma cost of $1.5 billion from 2014 to 2018.
It was followed by Wollongong, Shoalhaven, then Newcastle - where road trauma cost $651 million during the period.
According to the study, that equates to $584,210 per kilometre of road in the Newcastle council area and $493,344 on the Central Coast.
The cost was $343,707 per kilometre at Port Stephens, $246,931 at Cessnock and $233,279 at Maitland, the figures showed.
The data does not differentiate between trauma incidents caused by the condition of a road and the influence of other factors such as speeding or drink-driving.
NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury said Newcastle and the Central Coast were key areas that needed road infrastructure funding.
"The Australian and NSW governments are right to look to infrastructure spending to help Australia get back on its feet and this research by the NRMA sheds some valuable light on those communities that have borne the brunt of the economic cost of deaths and injuries," Mr Khoury said.
"Fixing regional roads will save lives, provide a much-needed boost to regional economies and give greater access to regional tourism destinations, particularly as we emerge from COVID-19 travel restrictions.
"The Hunter and the Central Coast have always been top destinations for holiday and with the international travel restrictions to remain in place for some time, domestic locations will rise even further in popularity. We need to make sure tourists and locals are driving on the safest and most efficient roads possible."
A key part of the study was conducted by multiplying the number of road trauma cases in a given category and area by the average cost of that type of incident.
According to Transport for NSW data from last September, the average cost of a fatal crash was $8.6 million, followed by a serious injury crash ($574,265), a moderate injury crash ($97,512), a minor injury crash ($89,314) and a crash that did not cause injury but required a vehicle to be towed ($10,338).
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