Victorian motorists are being urged to get behind Towards Zero and play their part to reduce the number of lives lost to road trauma.
Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan today released the 2015 Victorian Road Trauma Report – a comprehensive analysis of emerging trends and factors relating to road crashes across Victoria.
Last year, the total number of lives lost to road trauma was 252, an increase of four people on the year before. This year 70 lives have already been lost, 13 more than the same time last year.
If this rate continues, Victoria will be looking at one of the worst road tolls in recent years.
2016 has already seen vulnerable motorcyclists become overrepresented in this year’s fatalities. Alarmingly, 21 motorcyclists have lost their lives in road crashes since 1 January, compared to 30 for all of 2015.
The report shows that the number of people dying on our roads has increased two years in a row. Last year, 252 people lost their life to road trauma – four more than 2014 and nine more than the lowest road toll in 2013.
Drivers in regional Victoria continue to be overrepresented with more than 50 percent of fatalities happening on country roads.
Young drivers aged 18-20 are also at an increased risk of dying on the road. Compared to 2014, ten more young drivers lost their lives last year along with seven more young passengers aged 16-17. All but one of the young passengers died in vehicles driven by drivers aged 17-22.
Reducing the number of deaths and serious injury from road trauma is a key priority. The Government is investing heavily in road safety initiatives including: $146 million for the Young Driver Safety Package; $2.4 million for phase 2 of the Motorcycle GLS, $100 million for the Safer Cyclists and Pedestrian Fund, and $1 billion over ten years for the Safe System Road Infrastructure Program.
There is still more work to be done on the journey Towards Zero. The 2015 Victorian Road Trauma Report will inform the Government and its road safety partners as well as the broader community on areas that need the greatest focus to achieve our target of fewer than 200 deaths by 2020.
Everyone has a role to play to reduce road trauma, and Victorians are being urged to have conversations with their families, their loved ones and their colleagues about how they can help to keep themselves safe on the roads.
Quotes attributable to the Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan
"Already this year far too many people have been killed on our roads. These numbers represent real people who will be missed by their families, friends and colleagues."
"The number of motorcyclist deaths in recent weeks is very alarming. As one of the most vulnerable types of road users, motorcyclists and motorists must take extra care and maintain awareness at all times."
"We are all responsible for keeping each other safe on the roads and we urge people to share the road responsibly. A single life lost is one too many."
Reviewed 19 August 2020