06 Feb 2015
It's disappointing to see a prominent Australian such as Senator David Leyonhjelm (Herald Sun Opinion 5 February) attempt to argue that speeding and hooning are somehow acceptable.
Speed limits are part of an overall system that aspires to the target of zero deaths on our roads.
The vast majority of Victorians are responsible road users who understand that road safety laws, speed limits and efforts to encourage safe driving are there for one reason.
That reason, unequivocally, is to save lives and prevent tragedy.
Setting safe speed limits and encouraging drivers to stick to them is critical to maintaining road safety for drivers and other road users.
The idea that these limits are some kind of flexible guide that apply only to the safe majority is quite simply dangerous.
And the idea that speed limits should be lifted to accommodate serial offenders is simply disingenuous.
Our speed limits are designed by experts to be easy to comply with.
They are designed to strike a balance between reasonable travel times and the human body's tolerance to trauma.
Death or catastrophic injury can occur at speeds of 30km/h when a vehicle collides with a person.
This is why speed limits around schools and shopping centres are confined to low levels.
It is no coincidence that no deaths have occurred in 40km/h school zones since their introduction in 2004.
Additionally, where speed limits have been increased, the number of deaths and serious injuries have also risen.
These are the irrefutable facts.
Senator Leyonhjelm, in his opinion column in the Herald Sun yesterday, suggests that speed limits and hoon laws make a minimal contribution to the safety of our road system.
In the 28 years since the TAC's introduction, road deaths have fallen from annual levels of 705 to 249.
That represents a great reduction. And we can reduce it further through responsible laws and individual care.
If Senator Leyonhjelm suggests that Victoria unravels all that hard work, it would only result in more deaths, more serious injuries and more shattered families.
Scientists and researchers in Victoria and around the world have made significant developments in our understanding of the factors contributing to road trauma in recent decades.
Victoria's willingness to act on that knowledge has positioned us as one of the world's leading jurisdictions for road trauma prevention.
We have a proud history of international leadership in road safety initiatives. This dates back to our state being the first jurisdiction to introduce compulsory seat belt laws.
Subsequent initiatives ranging from drink driving laws, mobile booze buses, drug testing stations and speed cameras have all had a positive impact on reducing road deaths and trauma.
Hoon laws and the ability for police to impound cars is also a powerful tool in the fight to make our roads as safe as possible.
Unsafe or unlawfully modified cars should not be allowed on our roads.
The Victorian government will continue to look to the science to put the safety of all Victorians first.
We are working towards zero deaths and zero serious injuries on our roads.
Winding back proven safety initiatives works directly against that goal of keeping drivers safe and preventing their families from enduring the nightmare of losing a loved one to road trauma.
That's why the Andrews Labor government is investing $146 million in a Young Driver Safety package to ensure that young Victorians are the safest drivers they can be.