The Andrews Labor Government has announced immediate new road safety measures in response to Victoria’s worst start to the year for road fatalities since 2008.
Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan and Police Minister Lisa Neville today announced a funding boost that would see additional police deployed for road safety enforcement.
A meeting of the Labor Government’s Ministerial Council for Road Safety yesterday approved 1000 additional police shifts over the next four months, with the resources being used to target high-risk driving behaviours.
The Transport Accident Commission will provide funding for the extra shifts under a new $12 million Enhanced Enforcement Program over the next three years.
The Ministerial Council for Road Safety agreed to fast track money from the program, enabling Police Command to offer extra shifts to members on their days off between now and Christmas to keep Victorians safe on the roads without diverting resources from other areas of policing.
Victorians can expect to see more marked police cars patrolling the state’s roads and highways, targeting speed and drink driving, especially on rural roads, where the majority of the deaths have occurred.
Speed accounts for about a third of all road fatalities and about one-in-five drivers killed have an illegal blood alcohol content.
The enhanced police presence will be backed by TAC public education and community engagement activities, reminding Victorians that police will be out in large numbers to protect them on the roads.
The Labor Government this year announced an unprecedented $1.1 billion package of initiatives to reduce lives lost on Victorian roads to below 200 by 2020.
Quotes Attributable to Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan
“Our road safety agencies have been working with us around the clock to find ways to stop 2016 becoming our worst year on the roads in nearly a decade.”
“We know that enforcement and public education are the two areas where we can have an immediate impact on the way people use our roads.”
“The significant investments we’re making in these areas will make Victorians think twice before putting their own lives or the lives of others at risks on our roads.”
Quote Attributable to Minister For Police Lisa Neville
“Victorians can expect the most visible police presence in the lead up to Christmas in the state’s history, with more speed enforcement, more random breath tests and more members on the roads working to keep every road user safe.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020