Our roads the state’s deadliest
Death toll at 400 and counting
GREATER Geelong roads are the state’s deadliest, claiming 400 lives since 1987, alarming Transport Accident Commission data reveals.
Today the Geelong Advertiser and the TAC are campaigning to reduce the death toll as road authorities implore the public to take responsibility for reducing the worrying statistic.
TAC CEO Joe Calafiore said drivers must slow down and concentrate to reduce the risk of tragedy.
“The tragic reality is that Victorians are five times more likely to die on rural roads than in the city,” Mr Calafiore said.
“Regional communities are tight-knit, and while families and loved ones are the hardest hit, literally hundreds of people are impacted by one tragedy.”
The plea comes as a quarter of the state’s most dangerous roads — all in the Geelong region — have claimed eight lives and recorded more than 100 serious injuries between 2013 and 2017.
TAC data shows: EIGHTEEN of the 25 deaths on the southwest’s roads last year were in 100km/h or 110km/h zones; REGIONAL road deaths made up 60 per cent of the 259 on the state’s roads last year, despite regional areas making up less than a quarter of the state’s population; and, MEN continue to die at twice the rate of women on regional roads, with 18 losing their lives in the southwest and 5 in Geelong last year. Princes Highway and the Geelong Ring Road are helping to reduce the regional road toll, with other upgrades also planned for Anglesea Rd, the Great Ocean Road and Geelong-Bacchus Marsh Rd.
As of Sunday, 87 people had died on the state’s regional roads — 29 fewer than the same time last year.
Geelong Highway Patrol Senior Sergeant Gary Wilson said police were tackling road trauma by patrolling high-risk roads at the most dangerous times.
“We want to educate our road users to drive in manner that is safer, rather than purely an enforcement role,” Sgt Wilson said.
He said New Irrewillipe Rd, southwest of Colac, used as an in-land shortcut between Geelong and the 12 Apostles was emerging as a hotspot for dangerous driving.
Earlier this month a driver was clocked at 138km/h on the 100km/h road and was fined $604 and disqualified from driving for six months.
“The driver indicated that they were running late, so once again speed was a factor arguably because of lack of planning around the trip.”
Sen-Sgt Wilson warned drivers to be vigilant ahead of the spring-summer peak road trauma period.
Principal Lawyer at Fortitude Legal Tom Burgoyne, who has acted for more than 30 families of fatal crash victims, said road safety warnings must be taken seriously.
“Geelong is unfortunately overly represented in fatal accident cases,” Mr Burgoyne said.