Victorians urged to prioritise road safety this new year

Published date: 01 Jan 2024

Following a devastating year on the state’s roads, the Victorian Government is urging all Victorians to make safety their priority in 2024.

Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne has acknowledged the families, friends and communities impacted by road trauma in 2023, with 296 lives lost on Victorian roads.

Road safety is a shared responsibility, and whether driving, riding, or crossing the road, this new year Victorians are reminded to make safe choices on every journey – slow down, put the phone away, pay attention, wear a seat belt, and don’t drive after drinking or taking drugs.

With fatigue a major contributor to road trauma, people travelling long distances over the summer period are being urged to get a good night’s sleep before driving, allow plenty of travel time, drive to the conditions, remove distractions, and take regular breaks.

Driver Reviver Australia will have 21 sites set up across Victoria throughout summer, supported by VICSES and Lions club volunteers providing the ideal location for drivers to take a break, have a free cup of coffee or tea and stretch their legs, before continuing their journey

Data shows that lower-level drink driving and speeding, failing to obey road signs and distraction accounted for more than half of fatalities on state roads in 2023.

As the year comes to a close, road safety authorities are particularly concerned with the significant increase in driver and passenger fatalities, which rose to 189 in 2023, compared with 127 the previous year.

Drivers are also being urged to drive to the weather conditions especially in parts of Victoria that have experienced flooding. While recent rainfall has eased across areas under a flood watch, parts of the state may continue to experience minor flood levels or flooding events.

Victorians should keep up to date with the latest advice on the VicEmergency app and check VicTraffic before travelling for updates on road closures, hazards, and to consider alternate routes.

Driver Reviver site locations and operating hours can be viewed at driverreviver.com.au

Quotes attributable to Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne

“The devastating road toll we saw in Victoria last year has also been happening nationally and we need to do everything we can to drive down fatalities on our roads.”

“Road trauma is a complex challenge and sadly the contributing factors are not new – speed, not wearing a seat belt, drink and drug driving, high speed country roads, less safe older cars, multi-passenger fatalities and increasing level of travel on our roads.”

Quote attributable to Transport Accident Commission EGM Road Safety, Samantha Cockfield:

“Fatigue is a major contributor to road trauma, particularly when traveling long distances on regional roads, so it’s critical to plan your trip ahead of time – be well rested, take regular breaks, and share the driving where possible.”