Run-off-road crashes claim more lives in our region than any other type of road trauma, data shows.
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Eighteen of the 28 people who died in crashes in Loddon Mallee last year were killed as a result of a vehicle veering out of its lane.
Single-vehicle crashes on the roadside claimed 14 lives, while four people died in head-on collisions.
Loddon Mallee wasn’t alone in this tragic trend, with run-off-road crashes the most common form of fatality recorded in all regions.
“We know most people are doing the right thing, and the majority of journeys on roads in Loddon Mallee are safe ones,” Transport Accident Commission chief executive, Joe Calafiore, said.
“However, every death on our roads is an unacceptable and preventable tragedy.”
He said the data highlighted the importance of building a road system that was more forgiving when people made mistakes.
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The release of the statistics coincides with a visit from Roads and Road Safety Minister Luke Donnellan, who is expected to make an announcement at Ravenswood on Tuesday.
The state government is investing $1.1 billion in the Towards Zero Action Plan, which aims to reduce deaths on Victorian roads by 20 per cent and reduce serious injuries by 15 per cent in five years.
About $340 million is to be spent on infrastructure improvements on high-risk rural roads.
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“We’re investing in the things that we know save lives on country roads, rolling out more than 2000km of flexible safety barriers, thousands of kilometres of rumble strips as well as new turning and overtaking lanes,” Mr Donnellan said.
“We’ve also doubled VicRoads maintenance budget to make sure that country communities get the road works they need.”
Flexible safety barriers have been shown to reduce run-off-road and head-on crashes by up to 85 per cent, according to the agencies.
But they have drawn criticism from fire brigades for hindering access to fires and crashes.
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As the highest-risk roads in the Loddon Mallee region, the Calder Freeway from Keilor Park to Bendigo and Melbourne-Lancefield Road from Sunbury to Lancefield will receive safety improvements.
The Ravenswood Interchange and the Echuca-Moama Bridge are undergoing major upgrades.
VicRoads acting chief executive, Peter Todd, said everybody made mistakes on the road, but it should not cost them their life.
“People driving on country roads are four times more likely to be killed than those driving in metropolitan areas,” Mr Todd said.
“We should not accept this statistic.”
Focus no small part of driving: police
“THE community should be completely outraged that people are dying unnecessarily,” Bendigo Senior Sergeant Ian Brooks said as the fatal toll of run-off-road crashes was highlighted.
Eight more people died in crashes on Loddon Mallee roads in 2017 than the year prior, despite a decrease in the statewide road toll.
The most significant increase in road trauma was recorded in the Shire of Campaspe, where six people died in crashes on roads in 2017 – four more than in 2016.
Six people died on roads in Greater Bendigo last year, one more than in 2016.
Senior Sergeant Brooks said the attitudes of some motorists were among the factors in need of change to improve road safety.
“It’s the attitude of, ‘It won’t happen to me,’” he said.
For every fatality recorded, Senior Sergeant Brooks said there was a family and friends for whom road trauma was a reality.
“Driving a motor car requires 100 per cent concentration, 100 per cent of the time,” he said.