‘Then and Now’ to push move Towards Zero on our roads

04 Nov 2015

The Andrews Labor Government and the Transport Accident Commission are working towards zero with a new campaign demonstrating how Victoria can achieve major road trauma reductions.

Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan launched the next phase of the Towards Zero campaign at Docklands today which will see the TAC's long-running 1994 Kombi campaign with new footage showing how the scenario might play out with a safer road system in place.

The original Kombi ad featured a couple in a 1970s VW Kombi van driving overnight. The trip turns fatal when the driver falls asleep and veers into the path of an oncoming truck.

In the 2015 remake, the driver is in a modern five-star vehicle with a fatigue detection system and the road is treated with state-of-the-art safety infrastructure, including a centreline wire rope barrier to prevent vehicles crossing into oncoming traffic.

When the fatigue detection sounds, it prompts the driver to pull over and swap drivers. The scenario that in 1994 ended in two fatalities results in nothing more than a severe wake-up call.

The new campaign demonstrates how safer roads, safer vehicles and safer speeds can intervene to protect motorists from death or serious injury in the event that a mistake is made on the roads.

The campaign uses a Victorian-first centreline wire rope barrier which was installed on the Melba Hwy near Yea as part of the Government's $1 billion Safe System Roads Infrastructure Program.

Mr Donnellan said safer roads infrastructure and safer vehicles are important components in Victoria's rollout of the Towards Zero approach to road trauma reduction.

"This campaign is about showing then and now. Safety improvements to ours cars and roads means a mistake that would have been fatal back then these days could merely be a much-needed wake-up call," Mr Donnellan said.

Under the Towards Zero approach is working towards a future where Victorians who make mistakes on our roads would be protected from death or serious injury by driving safer cars, on safer roads and at safer speeds.

"In 1994 when this ad was made we lost 378 people on our roads. Now achieving zero is within our reach, but only if we have safer road users, in safer cars, on safer roads and at safer speeds," Mr Donnellan said.

"If we're not aiming for zero, we're saying to ourselves that there is an acceptable level of road trauma. The loss of one loved one on our roads is simply one too many."

Visit the Towards Zero website to find out more about how we can change road safety for good

Scene from the new TAC TV ad

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