Serious injury data prompts safety first plea to young regional drivers

• Victorian Coalition campaign to promote safety for first time car buyers 
• Although there are declining road toll numbers, there is still more to be done 
• Coalition Government protecting communities 

A Transport Accident Commission campaign is calling on young regional Victorians to put safety first when shopping for their first car. 

The How Safe is Your Car campaign will run for the rest of the summer holidays, as thousands of young Victorians scan the used car market for their first vehicle before commencing their studies or entering the workforce. 

It comes as Assistant Treasurer Gordon Rich-Phillips today released the TAC's latest serious injury crash data in Wangaratta, revealing a 13 per cent drop in hospital admissions stemming from road accidents in the 2013 financial year. 

Mr Rich-Phillips said that while it was positive that the road toll and serious injuries were falling, further road trauma could be reduced if all young drivers drove cars with a four or five-star safety rating. 

Mr Rich-Phillips said getting Victorians into safer cars was a key action of the Victorian Government's strategy to reduce road trauma, recognising that the state's most inexperienced and vulnerable drivers were more likely to drive the oldest and least safe cars. 

"Vehicle safety has come a long way in recent years and people need to be aware that many modern safety features can be found in affordable second-hand cars," Mr Rich-Phillips said. 

Mr Rich-Phillips said by using tools like howsafeisyourcar.com.au, young drivers and their parents could find safe and affordable vehicles in every car class. 

"We know safer cars save lives and that safer cars are available regardless of the buyer's budget so it's vital that people put safety ahead of all other considerations when buying a vehicle," Mr Rich-Phillips said. 

The howsafeisyourcar.com.au website uses a five-star rating system to help car buyers assess a vehicle's ability to protect its driver in a crash.

"If every Victorian took advantage of this information and insisted on at least four stars when buying a car, we would see significant reductions in the road toll and serious injuries," Mr Rich-Phillips said.

The following table provides examples of safe cars that won't break the bank:

To view the latest year-on-year comparative serious injury crash data relating to your Police Service Area, the TAC statistical summary.

For additional localised data (including crash times, road user groups, age groups, gender and crash type), visit the TAC online crash data base and search your local area over the time period July 1, 2012, to June 30, 2013.