TAC urges Victorians to take care on the road this March

09 Mar 2012

MEDIA RELEASE: 9 March, 2012

The Transport Accident Commission is urging Victorians to make this long weekend a safe one.

TAC chief executive officer Janet Dore said the TAC was asking motorists to consider their driving behaviour to see if it could be improved.

"If you are thinking about long drives over the weekend, make sure you plan ahead, get plenty of rest in between trips and don't drive if you are fatigued.

"It's important to leave home with plenty of time to get to your destination so that speeding doesn't become a temptation."

Ms Dore said the TAC had identified that traveling over the speed limit or driving or riding inappropriately for the conditions continued to be a major road safety issue.

"We had a road toll of 38 at the end of February 2011, which was our lowest start to the year for many years," Ms Dore said.

"This year's trend is concerning and we all must focus on reversing it before more lives are lost."
 
TAC statistics reveal that this January was a particularly bad month with 30 fatalities compared to 19 in 2011. February was also slightly up from 20 in 2011 compared with 23 this year.

Fatalities	Jan & Feb 2011	Jan & Feb 2012
Sex
Female	7	16
Male	30	37
Road User
Cyclist	2	5
Driver	14	24
Motorcyclist	7	7
Passenger	9	12
Pedestrian	6	5
Age
0-17 Years Old	2	0
18-25 Years Old	5	15
26-29 Years Old	2	3
30-39 Years Old	2	10
40-49 Years Old	5	5
50-59 Years Old	7	3
60-69 Years Old	7	9
70+ Years Old	8	8
Type of Road
Rural Roads	19	26
Urban Roads	10	22

d> 7 Passenger 9 12 Pedestrian 6 5 Age 0-17 Years Old 2 0 18-25 Years Old 5 15 26-29 Years Old 2 3 30-39 Years Old 2 10 40-49 Years Old 5 5 50-59 Years Old 7 3 60-69 Years Old 7 9 70+ Years Old 8 8 Type of Road Rural Roads 19 26 Urban Roads 10 22