The City of Greater Bendigo, Macedon Ranges Shire Council, Mount Alexander Shire Council, and Loddon Shire Council will have a presence at the inaugural regional Towards Zero Road Safety Leadership Symposium in Creswick on July 7.

The symposium will be led by the Victorian Road Safety Partnership and aims to engage community leaders in the Towards Zero 2016-2020 Road Safety Strategy.

The strategy aims to reduce deaths on Victorian roads by 20 per cent and serious injuries by 15 per cent in five years.

“We all have a role to play in improving road safety within our communities,” Transport Accident Commission chief executive officer Joe Calafiore said.

“The symposium is a chance for regional leaders to better understand the important role they play.”

Highlights will include an address by New Zealand Transport Agency southern regional director Jim Harland about an initiative aimed at improving the road safety for, and of, visiting motorists. 

The TAC said more than $340 million was being spent on Victoria’s high risk rural roads, where nearly half of all deaths occur.

“We are focused on creating an environment that can prevent people from dying or being seriously injured on our roads,” Mr Calafiore said.