New campaign shows everybody hurts when you speed

11 Jul 2010

MEDIA RELEASE : 11th July 2010

Members of a tight-knit Victorian community have told of the pain of losing 19 year old Luke Robinson who died in a road accident in the hope it will discourage other drivers from speeding.

The personal stories of Luke's family, friends, emergency workers, work colleagues, survivors of the crash, eyewitnesses, and others affected by the tragedy form the basis for the TAC's new road safety campaign.

TAC Minister Tim Holding said the campaign, which would begin this week, will target speeding drivers and show the impact that one crash has had on more than 200 people.

"Speed remains the biggest killer on Victoria's roads and our aim is to make speeding as socially unacceptable as drink driving," Mr Holding said.

"This campaign is aimed directly at speeding drivers to show them that it isn't just their lives that they could ruin, it also ruins the lives of their parents, mates and even their footy coach.

"The Robinson family have bravely agreed to share their story to get people to slow down. They want Victorians, particularly young male drivers, to be aware of the ripple effect caused by every death on our roads.

On Sunday 28 March 2010 Luke was speeding when he lost control of a car on Anakie Road, Lovely Banks, north-west of Geelong. Luke's three passengers survived the crash, one was seriously injured and the others had minor injuries. 

Luke's father Norm Robinson, from Bannockburn, has penned an emotional letter to Victorians in the hope that his family's loss will stop other young drivers from speeding.

"Our family and friends agreed to be in these ads because we desperately want the community to be aware of the tragic ripple effect caused by every death from speeding," Mr Robinson said.

"We would have done anything to make sure Luke didn't speed. But it's too late for us."

TAC analysis shows that speed is implicated in 30 per cent of fatality crashes in Victoria and is the biggest killer on the state's roads. In the last two and a half years, speed is estimated to have been a factor in the deaths of 121 drivers and 46 passengers.

The latest research shows that 70 per cent of Victorian drivers report that they speed at least some of the time.

The campaign will run from Tuesday 13 July until Sunday 1 August across all regional and metropolitan media including TV, radio, outdoor billboards and online.

Visit Everybody hurts website

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