Victoria's road safety record
Victoria’s roads and road users are amongst the safest in the world.
This safety record reflects the success of Victoria’s evidence led approach to improving road safety through a comprehensive range of initiatives delivered in a close working partnership between the Victorian Government, local government and community groups.
Victoria’s fatality rate of 6.38 per 100,000 in 2007 is lower than the average fatality rate of 8.1 per 100,000 for the rest of Australia.
Over the last five years, initiatives delivered under arrive alive 2002-2007 have prevented some 580deaths and reduced by 11 per cent people admitted to hospital for more than one day.
Since 1990, annual road fatalities in Victoria have steadily declined from 548 to 332 in 2007.
Significant improvements in road safety were achieved under arrive alive 2002-2007 through actions that included:
- targeting high risk behaviours such as speeding and drink driving
- implementing enforcement, education and awareness initiatives to ensure that an increasing majority of motorists comply with the road rules
- undertaking extensive research and development to gain a better understanding of the causes of road crashes and the most effective means to reduce road trauma
- substantially improving the safety of the state’s road network through increased investment in road safety infrastructure, including Australia’s largest ever targeted accident blackspot program.
While these actions will continue to play an important role in improving road safety in Victoria, further reductions in the road toll require increased effort and new targets, actions and investment.
Over the next 10 years, Victoria’s population growth and the increasing demand for travel and freight will generate new challenges in road safety. To meet these challenges and further reduce the road toll, Victoria must do more than simply sustain the existing level of road safety effort. For example, based on Victoria’s projected population growth alone, if the current rate of fatalities per 100,000 head of population was maintained, the state’s road toll would increase 11 per cent to 375 by the year 2017.
Jurisdictions with the best road safety records, such as Sweden and the Netherlands, recognise safety as a key component of their transport systems, and have made significant road safety advances by understanding how to most effectively modify the system to protect road users.
This Safe System approach recognises the benefits to be gained from an overarching strategy that delivers safer travel through safer vehicles, safer roads and roadsides, and safer road users. The Safe System approach forms the basis for the development and management of the arrive alive 2008-2017 strategy to be delivered by the Victorian Government and its agencies, including the Transport Accident Commission, Victoria Police, the Department of Justice and VicRoads.
Through arrive alive 2008-2017, the Victorian Government will take action to improve safety for all road users, promoting a community wide culture of road safety and creating a safer road environment across Victoria. Over the next 10 years, the Government will increase its efforts to ensure that fewer lives are lost on our roads and that Victoria continues to be a leader in reducing the impact of road trauma on individuals, families and communities.
