Towards Zero is an ambitious campaign which aims for no deaths or serious injuries on Victoria’s roads.

As the state’s major caretakers of roads, local councils are being asked to consider better safety issues, including speed management for pedestrians and cyclists, the introduction of traffic-calming measures; the promotion of the Towards Zero philosophy with ratepayers and residents, applying the grants for specific road safety projects and addressing local road safety concerns.

Any measures, big or small, that contribute to a lower road toll and reduced injuries are to be commended.

These new measures are particularly timely for the Ballarat region, which was rocked by four fatalities in just eight days earlier this month.

The new push for support from local municipalities also comes at a time when the state’s road toll is skyrocketing. Already this year, deaths on our roads are in the mid-90s, 12 more than the same time last year.

Despite decades of road safety messages calling for motorists to drive safely, that message does not seem to be getting through to some people.

It may come down to something is simple as “It won’t happen to me”.

Well it can – and does happen to you – the average Joe and Jane on our streets, who have loved ones waiting for them to come home, who contribute to their communities through their family, work, sporting, volunteering commitments.

Our road toll doesn’t discriminate.

It doesn’t take care what age you are, whether you have people depending on you, whether you’re the sole breadwinner in the family, what religion you are, which country you came from.

Samantha Cockfield from the TAC said the higher toll was the “exact reason we need to change the approach that we’ve had in the past” towards road safety. 

“We’re trying to prevent people from being killed and seriously injured. So it’s actually taking the energy out of a crash … we’re minimising the forces in a crash to the point where, if you have one, you’ll survive.”

But while it’s easy to ask councils to help minimise forces in crashes, all motorists, cyclists and pedestrians also need to take some responsibility for their actions on our roads.

Drive safely people.