More people have already lost their lives on Victoria’s roads this year (2019) than for the entirety of 2018 – a tragic reminder for all of us to take care on our roads.
On Friday (October 11 2019) the number of lives lost on our roads reached 214, surpassing the number of lives lost in 2018. These are not just numbers – these are loved ones that won’t be there this Christmas, and families and friends left devastated.
This heartbreaking milestone shows that while we have come a long way in improving road safety, there is still a long way to go – whether that’s putting on a seatbelt, putting away the phone or driving while awake and aware.
The Victorian Government is also continuing to invest in the infrastructure that we know saves lives.
The Victorian Government has been rolling out new safety infrastructure on the state’s highest risk roads with almost 2,000 kilometres of new safety barriers installed since 2016.
Data released shows the number of crashes resulting in deaths and serious injuries on upgraded roads has almost halved since works began.
There were 84 crashes resulting in fatalities and serious injuries on these roads in 2015, compared to 44 crashes during the same period in 2019.
These barriers absorb the force of the vehicle to bring it to a stop and are being installed on the roadside and centre median to prevent run-off-road and head-on crashes.
So far in 2019, safety barriers across the state have already been hit around 2,500 times, representing countless serious crashes avoided.
Another 16 roads across the state will be upgraded with new safety infrastructure, including the Frankston Freeway, Moorooduc Highway and South Gippsland Highway in Melbourne’s south east.
Source: Vic Government