Footy fans warned against speeding during finals

29 Aug 2011

MEDIA RELEASE: 29 August 2011

One of the Transport Accident Commission's (TAC's) most successful and heartfelt campaigns will be screened again on television in a bid to slow drivers down during the AFL footy finals.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Police Peter Ryan today joined the TAC and Victoria Police to re-launch the powerful Pictures of You advertising campaign, featuring Victorian families who have lost loved ones in collisions where speed was involved. It tells the stories of families who are still battling their grief, in some cases 40 years on.

"This is the first time TAC will promote a message other than drink driving during the finals. Starting tomorrow, the advertising campaign will run for five weeks," Mr Ryan said.

When the Pictures of You campaign was first launched in 2008, tracking studies revealed the lowest ever self-reported speeding behaviour among drivers.

Mr Ryan said the advertisements made a compelling argument to slow down when driving.

TAC CEO Janet Dore said it was time to enhance efforts to reduce speeding, particularly when Victorians were hitting the roads for footy finals and the September school holidays.

"Changing Victorians' attitudes towards speeding is currently our greatest challenge. There are still far too many people out there who think it's OK to speed, when evidence and research shows it clearly is not OK," Ms Dore said.

"Speed kills – it can destroy families, relationships, and marriages.

"Pictures of You has been one of the TAC's most powerful advertising campaigns and we felt it was time to run it again to help change attitudes and slow people down."

One person featured in the ad, Helen Evans, said she hoped it would make a difference.

"If this ad makes even just one person slow down and think about what they're doing, it's all worthwhile, because no-one should go through what we have been through," Mrs Evans said.

More information about the ad campaign can be found at: www.picturesofyou.com.au 

Please see the following page for facts about speeding. For further details on the TAC campaign, contact TAC's Sarah Henderson on 0429 294 262.

Speeding – Facts and research

Facts:

• Speed is a contributing factor in 1 in 3 of all fatal and serious injury crashes on Victorian roads.
• Speed-related road trauma costs the Victorian community about $1 billion every year.
• Research suggests the risk of involvement in a casualty crash doubles for every five km/h travelled over 60 km/h.
• A 5km/h reduction in speed can result in a decrease of at least 15% in the number of crashes.
• Driving 5km/h less can reduce the severity of injury and mean the difference between: death or a serious injury; or a serious injury and a minor injury.

Research:

• TAC research shows that males are significantly more likely than females to admit to speeding all or most of the time.
• Males are significantly less likely than females to drive at or below the speed limit in a 60 km/h and 100 km/h zone, and they are more likely to agree with the following statements.
  • "If I'm sure I won't be caught, I drive over the speed limit."
  • "I tend to view speed zones as guides rather than an absolute maximum figure."
  • "Driving up to 10 km/h over the legal speed limit is not really speeding."
  • "Driving up to 10 km/h over the legal speed limit is usually quite safe."
• Females are significantly more likely than males to agree that speed is a major cause of crashes.
• Regional motorists also appear to have more relaxed attitudes to speed with TAC research showing they are significantly less likely than Melbournians to drive at or below the speed limit in a 50 km/h zone.
• A recent TAC study showed that while drink-driving was the most socially unacceptable behaviour amongst Victorians, speeding ranked more socially acceptable than picking your nose in public.