More than 40 people have died on regional roads in Victoria this year.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
More than 70 per cent of road fatalities between 2020-2024 were people killed on country roads within 30kms of their home.
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January this year was the deadliest month on Victoria’s roads since March 2008, and the worst start to a year since 2001.
New data from the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) showed that just four per cent of deaths on Victorian roads were visitors from outside the state, dispelling the myth that fatal crashes mainly involved people who were unfamiliar with the roads.
TAC CEO Tracey Slatter said most fatalities this year had happened on regional roads where drivers typically travelled longer distances in high-speed zones.
“The consequences are more severe if something goes wrong,” Ms Slatter said.
“The evidence is clear that crashes often happen close to home, on familiar roads that we know like the back our hand.”
This year, 74 lives have been lost on Victorian roads.
Of those, 43 have been on regional roads, an increase of 22 per cent over the same period last year.
Last month’s funding announcement of $1.2 billion from the Federal Government was allocated entirely to the Melbourne metropolitan area, despite about 70 per cent of regional fatalities analysed in the data being on high-speed roads.
Most had low traffic volumes, gravel shoulders and involved a vehicle running off the road, or into an oncoming vehicle, or crashing at an intersection.
Member for Ovens Valley, Tim McCurdy has slammed the $1 billion Road Blitz for blatantly disregarding regional Victoria.
Member for Ovens Valley Tim McCurdy along the Murray valley Highway. .
He said the massive cash injection was a slap in the face for regional motorists who continued to risk their lives on deteriorating and neglected country roads.
“While Labor funnel money into Melbourne to win votes, regional Victorians are left dodging potholes, crumbling shoulders, and dangerous intersections,” Mr McCurdy said.
“The state of regional roads has become a daily hazard for locals, with no meaningful investment from either state or federal governments.”
“The state of regional roads has become a daily hazard for locals, with no meaningful investment from either state or federal governments.”
Travel on regional roads is set to increase over the school holidays and Easter long weekend, prompting the TAC’s fatigue campaign, ‘Driving tired? Wake up to yourself’.
The campaign reminds drivers to slow down on low-volume, high-speed country roads, to come to a complete stop at intersections, and ensure they are distraction free - even on roads they know ‘like the back of their hand’.
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