Deaths of Victorian roads 23% higher than 2022

It's been a shocking year on Victoria’s roads with the number of lives lost more than 23 per cent higher than last year.

Transcript

00:00 In Victoria, the number of people who have died on Victorian roads has climbed to 296

00:08 after the death of a motorcycle rider last night in regional Victoria.

00:13 And it's the highest number of deaths on Victorian roads in the past 15 years.

00:19 The reasons behind the deaths are often small mistakes.

00:23 The Transport Accident Commission and police call them low-level mistakes, and they include

00:28 things like people being on their mobile phones while they're driving, being slightly over

00:32 the speed limit or slightly over the drink-driving limit.

00:36 And Victoria police believe at least 19 people who died in crashes this year were not wearing

00:42 their seatbelt.

00:43 The Transport Accident Commission's acting CEO was out in Melbourne earlier, warning

00:47 people to be careful and to slow down this weekend.

00:51 Here's a little of what she had to say.

00:53 One of the key factors we've seen in the high numbers of drivers killed this year, and passengers

01:00 as well, is accidents on high-speed rural roads.

01:06 Unfortunately, when you have a crash on a high-speed rural road, it is very difficult

01:12 to survive.

01:13 If you are going to be out and about over New Year and during the holiday period, we'd

01:18 really ask you to plan ahead.

01:21 The key thing is to know where you're going, how long it's going to take, make sure there's

01:26 absolutely no need to speed and that you can drive for the conditions.

01:31 And of course, it's not just Victoria.

01:34 The number of people dying on roads across Australia has also risen to 1,253 deaths in

01:42 the year to the end of November.

01:45 And that rise in lives lost has been pushed by a 23% rise in people dying on New South

01:52 Wales roads and a 61% rise in South Australia.

01:57 So as we enter what is possibly the busiest weekend of the year on roads Australia-wide,

02:04 the message really is to slow down, to be safe, to take breaks when you need it, and

02:09 to remember that there are other families on the road who just want to get where they're

02:12 going for New Year's.

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