Road safety film comp targets region’s young road users

THE State Government is calling on the region’s creative minds to pitch a short film concept that promotes road safety and helps save lives.

The Transport Accident Commission (TAC), in partnership with Village Cinemas, has launched the fourth annual Split-Second film competition which offers aspiring filmmakers the chance to produce a 45-second film and have it shown on the big screen.

This year’s winner will receive $5000 prize money and work with Sweet Shop production company to bring their film concept to life.

The winning entry will receive a $70,000 production budget for an advertisement that addresses low-level speeding or drink driving, both which remain significant causes of injuries and deaths on our roads.

Roads and Roads Safety minister Ben Carroll said he is always looking for new and innovative ways to engage young road users.

“We know one of the best ways to reach young Victorians is through peer-to-peer conversations; Split Second aims to empower our young people to connect with their peers and send a powerful road safety message,” he said.

So far this year, seven people have died on roads across the City of Greater Geelong, the Borough of Queenscliffe and Surf Coast and Colac-Otway shires.

At the same time last year, eight people had died on the region’s roads.

Across the state this year, 126 people have died on Victorian roads, 22 of those were people aged between 18 and 25.

Young drivers in their first year of driving are almost four times more likely to be involved in a fatal or serious injury crash than more experienced drivers. And the risks are even greater on regional and rural roads.

Last year, there were 5,413 crashes involving hospitalisation across the state. Of those crashes,1,042 involved people aged between 18 and 25 (see chart below).

* Surf Coast and Colac-Otway shires, City of Greater Geelong and the Borough of Queenscliffe.

Road trauma in young Victorian drivers has more than halved in the past decade, from 46 lives lost in 2010, to 22 deaths last year.

A range of initiatives has helped reduce the number of young driver deaths, including Victoria’s Graduated Licensing System and the Victorian Government’s $146 million Young Driver Safety Package – a key initiative of the state’s previous road safety strategy.

Transport Accident Commission CEO Joe Calafiore said he was always on the lookout for new ways to connect with young people.

“This competition has proven to be a fantastic avenue to connect directly with those young people and encourage them to think about their behaviour on the road,” he said.

The competition is open to all Victorians aged 18-25 and provides an opportunity for the TAC to help facilitate a conversation between young Victorians.

In its first three years, the Split Second Film Competition received close to 500 entries.

The winning film will be shown before movies at Village Cinemas across the state from October 21, 2021, to January 21, 2022.

For more information on the competition, how to enter, and to view past winners, visit the TAC website.

The competition is open for film entries until Monday, August 9.