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General News

9 May, 2024

Road safety in the spotlight

Safer Australian Roads and Highways (SARAH) and Victorian Police are delivering a timely message to prioritise safety on roads and the impact of road trauma this National Road Safety Week. The annual campaign, which runs until May 12, was founded by...

By Maryborough Advertiser

Residents are being urged to be safe on the road at all times this National Road Safety Week.
Residents are being urged to be safe on the road at all times this National Road Safety Week.

Safer Australian Roads and Highways (SARAH) and Victorian Policeare delivering a timely message to prioritise safety on roads and the impact of road trauma this National Road Safety Week.

The annual campaign, which runs until May 12, was founded by Peter Frazer after his daughter Sarah was killed when a truck driver crashed into her broken down car on the Hume Freeway in 2012.

The campaign already has nearly 70,000 pledges by road users to never use mobile phones, speed, drive while tired, or under the influence of alcohol or drugs, which Victoria Police has stated as major contributing factors to fatal collisions.

In 2024 so far, 100 lives have been lost on Victorian roads, down around 8 percent from this time last year, which saw the highest number of deaths in 15 years.

Pedestrian deaths have more than doubled so far in 2024 to 13, and motorcyclists have accounted for 22 percent of deaths on roads this year.

National Road Safety Week includes daily themes as part of the initiative, with Sunday, May 12 highlighting the importance of taking care on regional roads.

According to the Transport Accident Commission (TAC), 54 percent of all lives lost so far this year have occured on rural Victorian roads, with two of those deaths in the neighbouring Hepburn Shire on 100 km speed limit roads.

Since 2011, 18 motorists have lost their life in the Central Goldfields, including 16 deaths on 100 km speed limit roads. The last fatal collision in the Central Goldfields occurred in 2022.

In the same time frame, 42 lives have been lost on Hepburn Shire roads, 28 in Mount Alexander and 22 in the Pyrenees.

Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Road Policing Glenn Weir encourages all road users to look out for fellow motorists so everyone can reach their destination safely.

“We’ve seen a devastating loss of life on the roads, not only in Victoria but across the nation,” he said.

“Road trauma doesn’t discriminate — from the lives lost to their family members, partners, friends, work colleagues and emergency services who attend the scene — thousands of lives are impacted.

“National Road Safety Week is a timely reminder not only of the devastating impacts of road trauma but also that road safety remains everyone’s responsibility.

“It’s up to all of us to help make the roads a safer place, and police will continue to unapologetically target those who put themselves and other road users at risk

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