Police here to protect Victorians this Christmas holidays

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13 Dec 2015

Victoria Police's role to protect Victorians from road trauma is at the heart of the Transport Accident Commission's revamped message to motorists ahead of the festive season.

The TAC has partnered with Victoria Police in a new campaign reminding road users of the important part police play in the state's Towards Zero mission – ensuring Victorians get home safely from every trip.

TAC senior road safety manager Samantha Cockfield said the new campaign reflected Victoria's new approach to road safety following the launch of the Towards Zero campaign earlier this year.

"A central message of Towards Zero is that we're all in this together and we all have a part to play in preventing deaths and serious injuries on the roads," Ms Cockfield said.

"For police, their fundamental role is not about punishing wrongdoing - it's about protecting the community and being a visible reminder of our responsibility to look after ourselves and each other by being safe when we're out on the road network."

The new campaign replaces the TAC's 'The Party's Over' campaign which has been effective in highlighting police enforcement over the busy holiday season for the past three years.

"The new campaign takes a new approach that is less about warning people of the legal consequences of wrongdoing and more about highlighting the way Victorians work together to keep the community safe," Ms Cockfield said.

"The enforcement aspect of the work police do is extremely important but we're looking forward to it becoming less important as each of us takes on the responsibility to keep each other safe."

The new ad was launched today to coincide with the start of Operation Roadwise which will see Victoria Police ramp up its presence on the state's roads in the lead up to and during the busy holiday season.

The visible police presence aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries caused by risky behaviours including speed and alcohol, which are factors in about half of all Victorian fatalities.

"Let's all make the choice to slow down and separate drinking from driving so we can enjoy a safe Christmas with our loved ones," Ms Cockfield said.

Drug driving is another area of concern, with the TAC providing funding to enable roadside drug tests to increase to more than 100,000 a year.

The new enforcement campaign will run on TV and radio from 18 December until mid-January and return at peak holiday times in 2016.

Additional content for media purposes only

Radio grabs from TAC road safety manager Samantha Cockfield on the new campaign - MP3, 7.62MB

Police Breath testing

Police's mission to protect the community is at the forefront of a new TAC campaign

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