I want to share something very personal with you, because this petition isn’t just about numbers and policies — it’s about lives.

After my MRI results, I have been told that I have multiple soft tissue contusions, trauma to my collar bone, and concerns with my neck and spine. I now need to see both an orthopaedic surgeon and a neurosurgeon, and I’ve been advised not to work for at least three months.

What started as a normal drive to work — just trying to earn an honest day’s living — has left me likely unemployed for months, facing uncertainty and pain. Insurance might support me, but I don’t know how much, or when.

That’s the reality behind this petition. It’s not abstract. It’s not theoretical. It’s happening to me, and it could happen to you or someone you love.

Every year, transport accidents in Australia take a staggering toll. In 2022–23 alone, 1,425 people lost their lives, making it the fourth leading cause of death nationwide. In 2023–24, more than 65,000 people were hospitalised after road crashes — the third leading cause of serious injury.

And behind so many of these crashes is reckless behaviour. Around 30% of fatal crashes involve alcohol, and in many states speeding contributes to 40–50% of road deaths. Police operations routinely catch hundreds of drunk drivers and thousands of speeding drivers in a single weekend blitz — yet the crashes and fatalities continue.

Here’s the truth: you can drive responsibly, obey the rules, and still end up in hospital, unemployed, or worse, because of someone else’s reckless choices. You and I cannot control other drivers. That’s why this issue matters to every one of us.

Most people think there are hundreds of insurers in Australia. The truth is very different. Just a handful of groups dominate the entire market. All the brands you see on TV and online are just shopfronts for the same parent companies:

• IAG (≈ 29% market share) — owns NRMA Insurance, CGU, SGIO, SGIC, Swann, WFI, ROLLiN’, AMI, NZI, Coles Insurance, and more.
• Suncorp Group (≈ 27% market share) — owns AAMI, GIO, Apia, Shannons, Bingle, Vero, Terri Scheer, CIL, and others.
• QBE Insurance (≈ 10% market share) — operates under its own brand.
• Allianz (≈ 8% market share) — operates mainly under the Allianz name.

So what’s the risk?

When you make a claim, your insurer uses a process called subrogation. In plain English, this means they “step into your shoes” and chase the at-fault driver’s insurer for costs. In theory, they’re representing you.

But if both drivers are insured by brands owned by the same parent company, it’s really just one business deciding how much money to move from one pocket to another. For example: I was insured with Vero, and another driver could have been with Bingle — both are Suncorp brands. Or someone might be with NRMA and the other party with CGU — both are IAG.

In those cases, is the insurer really fighting to recover your full losses? Or are they simply making a business decision to minimise costs? That’s the hidden risk we face as customers: we think our insurer is representing us, but in reality, isn't their first duty to their own bottom line?

I did not start this petition to recover $236 of rego or $65 of CTP. I believe I could fight for that — I know how to read the law, chase paperwork, and spend the hours. But that’s not how it should be.

Every responsible driver does the right thing on the road and pays their insurance. The least we should expect in return is fairness. What we can and cannot recover for our losses should not depend on whether we are legal experts or whether we have the time and energy to spend months chasing insurers. And it certainly must not be buried in the fine print.

Thank you for supporting me so far. But if we want real reform and fair treatment for all responsible drivers, we need many more people to add their voices. I promise you this: even if my insurer pays me back the $236, I will not stop. Because this has been a painful and frustrating experience for what should have been just another commute to work. And I will do my best to ensure no one else has to endure what I am enduring now.

Please share this petition, talk about it with your friends, and help me make sure that no responsible driver is punished again for an accident they did not cause.