Regional deaths higher in 2022 road toll

THE final road toll for 2022 is in for Victoria, and a higher number of people died on the state’s regional roads than the year before.

Last year, 240 people lost their lives on Victorian roads – an increase on the 233 deaths in 2021, but the fourth-lowest total since TAC records began, including the pandemic-effected record low of 211 in 2020.

Motorists on regional roads remain a significant concern with 134 people dying in country areas compared with 119 in 2021, while metropolitan road deaths dropped from 114 in 2021 to 106 in 2022.

More than two-thirds of regional fatalities occurred on 100-110kmh roads.

Crashes on rural high-speed roads continue to be frequent, where the combination of high speeds and motorists travelling longer distances mean consequences are often more severe when something goes wrong.

There was a decline in driver and passenger deaths (126 down from 147). However, 27 per cent of people who died in a vehicle were not wearing a seatbelt.

Vulnerable road users including motorcyclists (57 up from 43) and pedestrians (44 up from 29) fatalities increased year-on-year.

Poor driver behaviour, including speeding and drink or drug driving, continues to contribute to lives lost on the roads, together with a large proportion (40 per cent) of unauthorised motorcyclists.

The state government says it is taking action to protect lives, improve safety and achieve the targets set out in its Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 and Action Plan, including halving the number of fatalities by 2030, with work focused across education, infrastructure, enforcement, policy and technology.

Initiatives target road user cohorts that are most at-risk, including vulnerable and unprotected road users, people who drive for work and roadside workers, and those who engage in high-risk behaviour.

The Victorian Budget 2021/22 also invested $49.4 million to install and commission new fixed road safety cameras at 35 dangerous intersection sites and two point-to-point highway camera systems. These cameras will begin enforcing throughout 2023.

The state government is again urging Victorians to slow down, put the phone away, never drive drunk or on drugs, take adequate breaks when driving long distances, and be aware of pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

“Our hearts go out to all those impacted by road trauma – we can’t accept that anyone should lose their life, or have it permanently changed, as a result of getting behind the wheel,” Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne said.