18 Sep 2014
The travel by TAC board members and CEO referred to in the Herald Sun on 18 September was in line with the TAC's International Travel Policy.
At the time of travel, the policy stated that directors and CEOs could travel first class. Following a review in 2013, the TAC changed its policy in January 2014 so that directors and CEOs could travel up to business class.
In seeking to position Victoria as a global leader in road safety, it is important that the TAC and its road safety partners look internationally for solutions to road trauma, an issue that costs the Victorian community an estimated $3 billion a year.
The road safety leadership tour of Sweden, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom was about sharing experiences and insights that have made those three nations the world's best-performing countries for road trauma prevention.
Some of the road safety lessons learned have already been implemented.
Victoria's inaugural Towards Zero Road Safety Symposium, held in May this year, is one recent initiative that stemmed directly from the road safety leadership tour. It was modelled on a Swedish initiative that engaged organisations, community leaders and local authorities with the aim of fostering a widespread culture of road safety.
Delegates also looked in detail at dozens of innovative road infrastructure treatments being pioneered in Europe, which will inform Victoria's future efforts to build safer roads.
The tour was also a catalyst for improvements to the way road trauma data is collated, reported and used to assist strategic decision making.