The party’s over for dangerous drivers on the roads this Christmas

The TAC and Victoria Police have joined together in a crackdown on risky driving as the community counts down to the festive season.

A week after a horror 14 hours on the state’s roads claimed six lives, TAC CEO Janet Dore and Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner for Road Policing Robert Hill today launched a hard-hitting Christmas campaign aimed at preventing further tragedies this year. 

The launch of The Party’s Over campaign coincides with today’s release of the TAC’s latest fatality and serious injury data showing year-on-year trends across all Victorian Police Service Areas. More details on these road safety statistics can be found here.

Ms Dore said December was traditionally one of the deadliest months on the state’s roads, making the campaign a timely reminder to be safe. 

“210 people have died already this year and thousands more have been injured. We want to see Victorians keep safe on the roads for the rest of 2013,” Ms Dore said.

“The Party’s Over campaign is a reminder that the roads are not the place to party and it will work in support of police operations cracking down on drug and alcohol-affected drivers this Christmas.”

 

The campaign includes TV advertisements in which Assistant Commissioner Hill tells Victorians:  “if you drink or take drugs and drive, if you speed or drive unlicensed, the party’s over”. 

Assistant Commissioner Hill said Victoria Police had already commenced their Summer Stay campaign, a series of operations targeting road safety issues this summer. 

“As part of that campaign, Operation RAID is now underway. We know people have been alerted to our extra presence on the roads but 150 drink drivers were still caught last weekend and a further 88 returned positive drug tests,” Assistant Commissioner Hill said. 

“With more people taking to the roads for summer, our message is clear: if you drive while affected by alcohol or other drugs, it’s highly likely you will detected and the party will be over,” Assistant Commissioner Hill said. 

Historically, the last 12 days of the year have resulted in the highest road fatality per day rate with an average of 13.4 deaths – 1.12 deaths per day, compared to an average of 0.86 (based on the eight year average 2004-2011).

The TAC’s support of police Christmas enforcement efforts is part of the long-running Enhanced Enforcement partnership, which has been running since 1995. TAC campaign tracking has shown the enforcement and education partnership with police is resonating with the community, with 73% of Victorians reporting that the 2011 Christmas TAC campaign was talking to them. 

 

Above: TAC CEO Janet Dore, Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Robert Hill and Geelong City Councillor Michelle Heagney in Geelong.