Walkers urged to hang up on distractions as pedestrian numbers swell

20 Jan 2016

The Transport Accident Commission and Victoria Police today launched a renewed safety push as new figures reveal nearly 200 pedestrians have been killed on Victorian roads over the past five years.

The figures have thrust the issue of pedestrian distractions into the spotlight, as the Australian Open attracts hundreds of thousands of people into central Melbourne on foot.

A recent TAC survey revealed a steady decline in the number of Victorian motorists who admit to having illegally talked on the phone while driving within the past month, from 64 per cent in 2011 to 55 per cent in last year's survey.

Pedestrian fatalities between 2011 and the end of 2015 went against a state-wide trend of increased road trauma in regional areas, with 73 per cent of the 196 deaths occurring on Melbourne streets.

TAC chief executive officer Joe Calafiore today joined Victoria Police Inspector for Road Policing Jason McGregor at Federation Square to warn Victorians of the dangers of becoming distracted by mobile phones or music players when on foot.

"Victorians are starting to get the message when it comes to the dangers of driving while on the phone but unfortunately too many people seem unaware of how dangerous distraction can be when you're on foot," Mr Calafiore said.

"It doesn't matter whether you're driving a car, riding a bike or walking, if every road user was entirely focussed on what is happening around them, we would see an immediate fall in the level of deaths and injuries on our roads."

The TAC has broadened the focus of its distractions campaign to appeal to pedestrians.

"You see it far too often - people walking along, looking down at their phones, listening to music on headphones, oblivious to their surroundings," Mr Calafiore said.

"The message has to be that no phone call, no song and no text message is worth taking your attention from the traffic and risking your life for."

Of the 196 pedestrian fatalities in Victoria in the five years to the end of 2015:

• 131 of those who lost their lives were male. 
• The most pedestrian deaths occurred between the hours of 6pm and 8pm (34).
• Thursday was the day of the week when most fatalities occurred (42).

TAC CEO Joe Calafiore and Victoria Police Inspector Jason McGregor urging people to be alert when walking on or near roads.

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Bill Hodges was seriously injured when walking in Melbourne and hit by a tram. Here he joins TAC CEO Joe Calafiore in asking people to be alert to their surroundings on or near roads.

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