Road safety takes centre stage on comedy roadshow

Published date: 24 Apr 2018

The Transport Accident Commission is asking regional Victorians to ‘stand up for road safety’, as it tours the state in partnership with the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.

The TAC has joined forces with the MICF Regional Roadshow for a second consecutive year in an effort to highlight road safety issues in regional Victoria.

The unlikely partnership will see road safety take centre stage at 19 comedy shows in Victoria’s north west, south west, central and north east regions, and Gippsland, from April until July.

With motorists now five times more likely to die on regional roads, the TAC’s presence at the shows will remind country Victorians that everyone has a role to play in reducing road deaths and serious injuries in their own backyard.

TAC Road Safety Lead Director Samantha Cockfield said traveling with the comedy roadshow allowed the TAC to get country drivers thinking about road safety, and highlight factors contributing to road trauma in rural areas.

“On country roads people travel longer distances and at higher speeds, meaning when mistakes happen the consequences are often severe or very serious,” she said.

“Excessive speed and fatigue are two major factors in fatal road crashes in country Victoria.”

Last year, 258 people died on Victorian roads and 156 of those lives were lost in regional areas.

Ms Cockfield said it was crucial to reach out to regional areas, with deaths on rural roads increasing last year despite an overall reduction statewide.

“Victoria’s road safety partners continue to work on our Towards Zero plan for a future where no one dies or is hurt on our roads,” Ms Cockfield said.

“There is no acceptable number of deaths on our roads and we all have a role to play in creating a safe road environment by making safe choices when it comes to driving.”

A team of TAC representatives will have a colourful presence at the comedy roadshow events, helping audiences get home safely with free breath tests before they leave.

They will also help people understand how Victoria’s Towards Zero approach is reducing road trauma and how making safe choices can contribute to a safe road system.