Regional roads account for majority of fatalities in 2024

VICTORIA Police has committed to drive down road trauma through 2025, after provisional figures released last week revealed another devastating year on the state’s roads.

Two hundred and eighty-three people lost their lives on Victoria’s roads in 2024, with more than half of these fatalities taking place on regional roads.

A total of 149 fatalities were recorded in regional Victoria last year, a slight reduction from the 172 lives lost in 2023.

Locally, however, a region-by-region breakdown of the data has revealed a troubling increase in fatalities across the Surf Coast Shire, with eight lives lost, up from two in 2023.

Meanwhile, the City of Greater Geelong saw a welcome reduction in road fatalities through 2024, recording two deaths, down from 11 in 2023.

Road policing Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir urged all road users to consider their actions and behaviours when getting behind the wheel this year, with police identifying acts of non-compliance and basic driving errors key contributors to the state’s road toll.

These behaviours include low-range speeding, lower-level drink driving, failure to obey road signs and distraction, such as using a mobile phone while driving.

Extreme behaviours, such as travelling at extreme speeds and drink and illicit drug driving contributed to approximately a quarter of last year’s fatal collisions.

More than 20 people killed in vehicle collisions were not wearing a seatbelt at the time.

“Not only is the sheer number of lives lost devastating, but the increase in fatal collisions overall has been particularly concerning to us,” Assistant Commissioner Weir said.

“Let’s not forget, these are not just numbers we are talking about, but human lives: these are people who will be mourned by their loved ones for many years to come.”

He said the toll was a stark reminder of the responsibilities all road users have to keep themselves, their passengers and all other road users, safe.

“Road safety is everyone’s responsibility – whether that be slowing down and travelling at the speed limit, not driving after consuming alcohol or drugs, avoiding distractions like mobile phones and ensuring everyone is wearing a properly fitting seatbelt.

“It’s up to all of us to ensure road safety remains paramount in the year ahead – we don’t want 2025 to be a year remembered for all the wrong reasons.”

He confirmed maintaining high visibility across the state’s roads in an effort to deter and detect offending will be a key focus for Victoria Police through 2025.

In response to last year’s road toll, the Victorian government has teamed up with Country Racing Victoria to launch a campaign aimed at getting locals home safely after a day out at the races.

Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne encouraged punters to plan ahead and make use of the safe transport options available to them.

“If you plan on having a drink at the races, taking a taxi, train, bus or lift home is your best bet,” she said.

The new campaign will feature prominently on social media and in race book advertisements.