Victoria’s road toll has hit a five year high, reaching 100 deaths this week including four fatalities in the Ballarat region in April.
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The near 13 per cent surge has alarmed authorities who remain perplexed as to why the Transport Accident Commission’s Towards Zero message is not getting through to drivers.
In the last 12 months there have been seven fatalities in Ballarat. Six had occurred in the last three months.
Frustrated Ballarat Highway Patrol Senior Sergeant Pat Cleary said families continued to be torn apart by fatalities that in mostly could have been avoided.
“It simply changes their lives forever. They are never going to have the life they knew back again,” Senior Sergeant Cleary said.
“It’s devastating to family friends and loved ones and tragic devastating.”
“(To reduce the toll) we need everybody on board. It is not just an emergency services effort.
“Speed, alcohol and drugs, and in particular distraction are all contributing factors.
“The smallest of mistakes – through distraction or inattention can lead to absolute tragedy.”
Road Trauma Safety Support Service Victoria Ballarat co-ordinator Lorraine Yeomans said authorities were disturbed that people of all ages continued to be killed on the roads.
“We are quite perplexed as to why it is happening – our roads are safer, our cars are safer. The toll should have dropped,” Ms Yeomans said.
She said the impacts of road trauma were not just fatalities. Many people sustained life-long injuries.
Ms Yeomans said many would never recover from these traumatic injuries.
RTSSV will highlight the need to be aware of road safety this Friday on Shine a Light Day. All drivers are urged to drive with their headlights on.
Ballarat will be the first regional council to support the initiative. The town hall and Ballarat Fire Brigade station will be illuminated in yellow.
Passionate road safety committee chair and Mayor Des Hudson said the initiative was a way to highlight an important message.
“With the bleaker weather coming we need to remind all drivers to take care,” he said.
To date 50 people have been killed on Victoria’s metropolitan roads, with 49 killed on country roads.
Forty-three of those killed were car drivers, while 28 were motorcyclists. Contact RTSSV on 1300 367 797.
