Victoria’s
Road
Safety
Action
Plan
2013
2016
Safe
roads
for all
Victorians
Contents
Foreword
3
Introduction
5
Key directions 5
}} Serious injuries – a new focus
5
}} Working together – a new approach
6
}} Technology – new advances
6
}} Research – new investigations
6
}} Priority actions – new actions
6
Priority actions 7
}} Drug driving
10
}} Speeding
11
}} Distraction
13
}} Pedestrians
15
}} Cyclists
16
}} Country road users
18
}} Roads and speed limits
20
}} Young drivers
22
}} Older road users
24
}} Motorcyclists
25
}} Unlicensed drivers
27
}} Trucks
29
}} Vehicle safety
31
}} Drink driving
Endnotes 8
34
For this document and current
road safety information
visit roadsafety.vic.gov.au
Department of
Justice
Foreword
More than five million Victorians use our roads every
day, whether they’re behind the wheel, using public
transport, on a motorbike, a bicycle, or on foot.
Success in making our roads safer will only occur if
all of us on the roads make the right choices, talk the
toll down, and engage in a never ending discussion
about road safety.
But with more and more of us on the roads each year,
and with so many different modes of transport using
our roads, this is becoming an even bigger challenge.
Victoria is already an international leader in road safety.
This has been achieved through commitment and a
strong community desire to reduce road trauma. This
has translated into a reduction in road tolls over the
last seven years.
In 2012 the road toll was the lowest yet – but the
toll still represents 282 people no longer with us,
and more than 5,000 people seriously injured. The
suffering and grief, and the changed financial and family
circumstances for the many affected leave deep and
lasting impacts.
In December 2012 the Victorian Coalition Government
announced $36 million in funding for a new
rehabilitation centre for people with an acquired
brain injury. It will be established at Alfred Health’s
Caulfield Hospital.
More than 1,200 Victorians are living with an acquired
brain injury from a road accident. Every four days,
someone in Victoria suffers a severe brain injury in a
road crash, which results in a profound and irreversible
change to their lives. These injuries are the hidden toll
of road trauma.
Our ideal must always be that there will be zero deaths
and zero injuries on our roads. In this strategy we
outline an approach to pursue new and ambitious
objectives over the next 10 years, in particular:
}} reducing deaths by more than 30 per cent; and
evidence. This includes infrastructure, education
programs, increased use of alcohol interlocks, new
research, promoting and encouraging new safety
technologies and strong enforcement measures
that clamp down on those who put our lives at risk.
But we’ll also need to work in new ways.
Victoria will again lead the way in Australia by
introducing a new injury measure. At the moment
there is no distinction between serious injuries such
as broken bones and the more life-changing and
permanent injuries such as quadriplegia and brain
injury. So for the first time in Australia, Victoria will
develop a severe injury category, which will focus our
efforts to improve our safety response.
Our strategy also highlights the importance of a
collaborative approach between government and the
community. The Coalition Government is committed
to saving lives and reducing trauma by making the road
network safe. This Action Plan is supported by a range
of other initiatives including a whole-of-government
strategy to reduce the impact of alcohol and drug
abuse on the Victorian community. But we’re calling
on you to do your part too. All Victorians – pedestrians,
cyclists, motorcyclists, drivers and passengers –
have a responsibility to make better, safer choices
on the road. It’s never an accident when road users
make a dangerous choice.
When we announced the Victorian Coalition
Government’s establishment of a Ministerial Road
Safety Council, we recognised how critical it was to
reduce trauma on our roads and improve the safety
of the state’s road network. This new approach, our
strategic direction and action plans detailing what
we, as a Government, will do, and what you can do,
will get us there. When we all work together to make
better choices on the roads, lives can be saved, severe
injuries can be reduced and we can all get home safely
to our loved ones.
}} reducing serious injury by more than 30 per cent.
Combining approaches that already work with new
initiatives can make a dramatic difference.
The Victorian Coalition Government is driving the
next generation of road safety and is making a
$1 billion commitment to road safety by continuing
with the things we know work, based on solid scientific
The Hon Ted Baillieu MLA Premier
2
3
Introduction
Key directions
This is the first of three Action Plans which sets
out the steps we will take to achieve the vision,
targets and direction outlined in Victoria’s Road
Safety Strategy 2013–22.
In this action plan we will continue doing the things we
know work such as using the Safe System approach
to road safety to avoid crashes or reduce their impacts.
In this first Action Plan (2013-2016), we present the
priority activities to reduce death and serious injury on
our roads by more than 30 per cent, reducing the road
toll from 282 (2012) to below 200, and cases of serious
injury from 5,500 to below 3,850.
We have chosen the actions in this plan as the most
effective to get us to our targets based on:
}} the input from more than 16,500 survey responses
and submissions from members of our community
and organisations obtained during the 2012
consultation process; and
}} an evidence based approach – the Monash
University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) has
modelled the package of initiatives to make sure they
deliver significant safety benefit.
Given the diverse needs of the Victorian community and
the community’s expectation that dollars will be spent
wisely, we have chosen initiatives that will give
the community the greatest road safety benefit.
This approach works on roads, roadsides, vehicles and
people’s behaviour to reduce the force with which a
body is hit in a crash so that a person is less likely to be
injured or killed, knowing that no matter how good the
system is, and how careful people are, there will always
be human error and crashes are inevitable.
While we will continue with existing initiatives that we
know improve road safety, new measures in a number
of new areas will help us reach our ambitious targets.
Serious injuries – a new focus
Like other jurisdictions around the world, Victoria has
not reduced its serious injuries at the same rate as it
has reduced its road deaths.
In the last 25 years the road toll has been reduced by
60 per cent but the ‘hidden road toll’ of serious injuries
has only been reduced by around 45 per cent in the
same period. So this action plan aims to dramatically
reduce this hidden road toll.
One of the first steps is to create a new reporting
measure to highlight our most severely injured crash
victims. At the moment, most states in Australia define a
serious injury as anything that results in a person being
admitted to hospital for one or more nights.
The new definition of ‘severe injury’ will differentiate
between those relatively minor injuries and severe,
life-changing injuries such as quadriplegia and brain
injury. The impact of these injuries is terrible and if we
turn deaths into severe injuries, we have only done
part of the job.
This new reporting measure will help us to develop a
severe injury toll on our roads.
Alongside our existing death and serious injury
measures this new severe injury category will give
us more accurate and sophisticated knowledge
and information so that we can tailor our safety
response to not only reduce road deaths, but also
life-changing injuries.
These measures will also make people more aware of
the real costs of risky behaviour on our roads. Our work
will be assisted by the Parliament of Victoria’s Road
Safety Committee Inquiry into Serious Injury, which is
now underway.
4
5
Working together – a new approach
We will also work in closer partnership with the people
of Victoria. The Victorian Government will take strong
action to make the road system safe. We will use
engineering to make vehicles, roads and roadsides
safer, but this is only effective if people on the roads
make the right decisions to stay safe.
We will support people through a renewed focus in
education so that people know the responsible thing
to do and know the risks and potentially devastating
results of unsafe behaviour.
We’ll also give people tools to make more responsible
choices, for example – Intelligent Speed Assist which
will help drivers comply with speed limits.
But where people do the wrong thing and put their
own and others’ lives at risk, we will come down hard
with stronger enforcement and tougher penalties.
Government working on its own to make the
roads safe can only achieve so much. This new
collaboration underlines the responsibility that
everybody on the roads has to make good choices
to stay safe.
We all need to do more and do better if we are to
reach our targets of reducing the death and serious
injury tolls by more than 30 per cent.
Technology – new advances
Advancements in vehicle safety technology give us
enormous potential to reduce both the number of
crashes and their severity when they do happen.
Airbags, electronic stability control, alcohol interlocks
and seatbelts have proven themselves in saving lives.
We will closely monitor new road safety technologies
and, in collaboration with the Federal Government,
work towards a more rapid adoption of new design
rules so we can fast-track new safety technology as
it comes on to the market.
We’re also expecting a significant safety benefit
from Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems
based on an emerging technology where vehicles
communicate with each other and road infrastructure
to help avoid crashes.
Already, modelling is showing that the total number
of fatal and serious casualty crashes could be reduced
by as much as 25 to 35 per cent.
VicRoads will design new roads so that they can
support these technologies as they come on line.
Research – new investigations
We’re putting considerable resources into cutting edge
research such as an Enhanced Crash Investigation
Study to increase the focus on serious injuries to give
us better information to develop countermeasures to
reduce both deaths and serious injuries.
We’re also gaining a better understanding of the
relationship between using mobile phones while driving
and road crashes. Building on world leading research
from the United States, Victoria will be part of a ‘real life’
driving study which will examine what drivers actually do
and how often, in normal and safety critical situations,
and their interactions with other people on the road.
These studies will help us develop a new approach
to some of our most difficult road safety problems,
and give us solid data that will help us develop new
initiatives for future Action Plans.
Priority Actions – new actions
The following section outlines the new actions we’re
taking for the next three years to help us meet our
targets. While we’ll work across many areas, we’ll
concentrate our efforts on:
}} tackling the main contributors to trauma on our
roads – speed, and drink driving are involved in
more than half of all deaths; and
}} protecting the people most at-risk – motorcyclists,
pedestrians and cyclists.
By focusing on these crucial elements we will
make a significant contribution to meeting our targets
and saving people from death and serious injury on
our roads.
Priority actions
We all need to
do more if we
are to reduce
deaths and serious
injuries on our
roads
6
7
Drink driving
Strategic direction
Reduce road trauma from
drink driving through
a focus on vehicle
technology, education
and a zero tolerance
enforcement regime.
Background
Drink driving accounts for 25 to 30 per cent of deaths
and 11 per cent of serious injuries on Victoria’s roads.1
Repeat drink drivers make up 30 per cent of all drivers
caught drink driving.
What you told us
}} 89 per cent agreed that drink drivers should face
longer bans from driving or owning a car.
}} 83 per cent agreed that there should be an increase
in the number of drink drivers required to have
alcohol interlock devices fitted to their vehicles.
}} 82 per cent agreed that there should be an increase
in awareness about the dangers of drink driving.
What we know works
Alcohol interlocks are highly effective for repeat drink
drivers because they stop the car from starting if the
driver has been drinking.
Research suggests that if alcohol interlocks were
a standard feature in all Victorian cars, approximately
50 lives and 500 serious injuries would be saved
each year.
What we’re doing
Engineering
Expand the fitting of alcohol interlocks to
the vehicles of all convicted drink drivers
In the future, we expect that alcohol interlocks will
become a standard feature of all new vehicles sold
in Australia.
Until then, we’re expanding the current alcohol
interlock program from applying only to Blood Alcohol
Concentrations of .15 or higher and repeat drink
drivers, to applying to every convicted drink driver –
including low-level and first offences. This will reduce
the menace of drink driving on our roads.
Education
Increasing awareness of drink driving risks
The TAC will continue delivering high quality, thought
provoking public education campaigns that improve
people’s understanding of the role of drink driving in
road trauma.
Enforcement
Impounding the vehicles of first time, high-level drink drivers
Impound the vehicles of drivers with Blood Alcohol
Concentrations of .10 or higher, rather than just repeat
drink drivers. This will be a powerful deterrent to drink
driving, additional to the immediate licence suspension
which already applies.
Toughening penalties
Create a new offence with a tough penalty for driving
under the combined influence of alcohol (over legal
BAC) and illicit drugs.
What you can do
}} If you plan to drive, plan not to drink.
}} If you plan to drink, consider alternative transport
options such as a taxi or public transport.
}} Offer to be the designated driver.
}} Voluntarily put an alcohol interlock into your car.
8
9
Drug driving
Background
Illicit drugs are a factor in around 20 per cent of all driver
deaths, while abuse of some prescription medications is
emerging as a major road safety concern.2
There is a growing recognition of the road safety
problems associated with the abuse of pharmaceutical
drugs such as benzodiazepines (Valium and Xanax)
across Victoria.3 There is also significant evidence
of a relationship between the abuse of certain
pharmaceutical drugs, driving impairment and
crash risk.
Current Victorian research shows that where drivers
with three or more drugs in their blood (alcohol, illicit
drugs and inappropriate levels of prescription drugs)
are involved in crashes, they are found to be at fault
in more than 95 per cent of cases.4
What you told us
}} 89 per cent agreed that repeat drug drivers
should be required to have counselling by medical
professionals.
What we’re doing
Education
TAC media campaigns
An alarming 50 per cent of self-confessed drug drivers
claimed in a 2011 survey that illicit drugs have little or
no effect on their driving ability. The TAC will undertake
research based public awareness campaigns to:
}} improve understanding by health professionals
and the community of the role of illicit drugs in road
trauma; and
}} educate drivers and riders about the effects and
risks associated with driving and taking prescription
medications.
Developing ways to inform and identify
issues surrounding drug use
Conduct world-leading research into crashes involving
alcohol, illicit drugs and prescription medications to get
crucial data to make our education and enforcement
more effective.
}} 87 per cent supported an increase in public
awareness about the dangers of drug driving.
This will lead to the creation of better tools to identify
drivers who are alcohol and drug addicted, and better
tools to help them change their behaviour because they
generally don’t respond to sanctions like suspending
their licence, fines and demerit points.
}} 86 per cent supported increased penalties for
drug driving.
Enforcement
}} 88 per cent supported increased testing for
drug drivers.
Strategic direction
Adopt a much tougher and
more sustained approach
to detecting and penalising
drug drivers. Work with the
community to strengthen
the management of
prescription medications to support safe mobility.
Toughening penalties and sanctions
}} Expand and increase testing for drug driving.
}} Create a new offence with a tough penalty for driving
under the combined influence of alcohol (over legal
Blood Alcohol Concentration) and illicit drugs.
}} Develop objective measures of illicit drug use which
will give magistrates the tools to apply more
effective sanctions.
What you can do
}} Don’t take drugs and drive.
}} Visit the Australian Drug Foundation website for
information about illicit drugs and driving risk
(adf.org.au).
}} Check with your doctor whether you can drive while
you’re on your prescription medication.
Speeding
Background
Speed contributes to nearly 100 road deaths and
1,700 serious injuries each year, and costs the state
about $1 billion every year.
Research shows that in a 60km/h zone the risk
of a crash doubles for every 5km/h the speed limit
is exceeded. And travelling at 70km/h in a 60km/h
zone nearly quadruples the risk of a crash.
Pedestrians hit at 40km/h are 75 per cent less likely
to die than those hit at 50km/h, according to the
Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC).
So reducing speeding is crucial to improving
road safety.
Strategic direction
Help drivers comply with speed limits through
vehicle technology and the setting of clear and simple speed limits, as well as increased
enforcement of speed limits.
What you told us
}} 73 per cent agreed there should be an increase in
public education about the dangers of speeding.
}} 58 per cent agreed that new vehicles should be
required to have speed alert technologies such as
Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA).
}} The majority of submissions contended that tougher
penalties, an increased police presence and more
speed cameras were the best ways of stopping
motorists from speeding.
What we know works
Experts estimate speed camera technology reduces
crashes causing injury by up to 47 per cent at
intersections.
Vehicles fitted with Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) can
detect the speed limit in which they’re travelling and
can then alert the driver if they’re going over the speed
limit. The vehicle can even override the driver and
reduce the speed itself.
Research from the United Kingdom shows ISA has the
potential to reduce injury crashes by 36 per cent and
fatal crashes by 59 per cent depending on the
ISA system in operation.5
10
11
What we’re doing
Engineering
Introducing Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA)
Develop a strategy for the implementation of ISA –
an in-car technology that reminds drivers what speed
limit they are travelling in.
Implementing outcomes of the Victorian
Speed Limit Review
Simplify speed zones by:
}} gradually phasing out 90km/h and 70km/h
speed zones;
}} removing frequent speed limits changes over short
distances; and
}} reducing sign clutter on busy roads.
Drivers will see fewer speed zones, reducing potential
confusion and helping people drive within speed limits.
Education
Increasing awareness of the risks of
speeding
}} The TAC will continue to develop campaigns that
educate the community about the risks associated with
travelling over the limit and at speeds inappropriate for
the conditions.
}} VicRoads and the TAC will increase awareness of
how effective ISA is and encourage people to install it
in their vehicles.
Enforcement
Increasing our capacity to catch people
speeding
}} Increase our use of automated speed enforcement,
including point-to-point, mobile, speed and red light
camera systems.
}} Work towards resolving the current inequity that exists
between motorcyclists and other road users where
motorcyclists are not detected when committing traffic
offences due to the lack of a front number plate.
}} Increase the penalty for obscured number plates from
the current fine of $141.
What you can do
}} Drive within the speed limit.
}} Drive to conditions so if it’s raining, or there are
hazards, slow down.
}} Put an Intelligent Speed Advisory System into
your vehicle.
}} Help us catch those that risk our safety through
an expanded hoon reporting facility.
Distraction
Background
What we’re doing
Eighty per cent of crashes and 65 per cent of near
crashes involve driver inattention in the few seconds
prior to the onset of the crash or near-crash.7 Getting
distracted doesn’t take much – in car distractions come
from many sources, such as our passengers, mobile
phones, radios, CD player and navigation equipment.
Promote phone applications that silence incoming
phone calls and messages when a person
is driving.
Texting increases the risk of a crash or near-crash
by up to 15 times for car drivers and over 20 times
for truck drivers.6
Visual clutter on the road, like too many advertising
and road advisory signs, makes it difficult for people
to detect changes and undermines people’s ability to
keep to the speed limit and follow traffic signs. This is
particularly difficult for older drivers.
What you told us
}} 89 per cent agreed that drivers found texting while
driving should face tougher penalties.
What we know works
According to research, making sure you do not take
your eyes from the road for more than two seconds is
critical to reducing crashes.
The United States National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration estimates that a driver whose attention
is taken off the road for two seconds becomes twice
as likely to be in a crash. Sending or reading a text
message takes 4.6 seconds.
Strategic direction
Introduce initiatives that
reduce the risks associated
with distraction and
inattention. Implement strict
enforcement measures that
deter illegal mobile phone
use. Improve people’s
understanding of the risks of distraction.
Engineering
Voluntary blocking of mobile phones while driving
Reducing visual clutter on the roads
Reduce sign clutter by reviewing areas where signs
are competing with each other and distracting drivers.
Education
Increasing awareness of distracting
technologies
Public education campaign focussing on the effects
of distracting technologies such as mobile phones,
headphones and tablet computers.
Enforcement
Extending the ban on mobile phone use
Broaden the ban on mobile phone use by probationary
P1 drivers to include P2 drivers. Currently, only
P1 drivers (first year probationary drivers) must not
use a mobile phone while driving, including hands-free
devices, while P2 drivers are permitted to use handsfree devices.
Introducing tougher and more effective
penalties for mobile phone use while
driving
Provide greater deterrence to distracted driving, through
stronger sanctions for drivers who are detected using a
mobile phone while driving.
What you can do
}} Don’t use a mobile phone while driving – particularly
to text.
}} Avoid using headphones to ensure you can hear
approaching traffic, particularly if you are a pedestrian
or cyclist.
12
13
A pedestrian hit by a vehicle
travelling at 50km/h is four
times more likely to be killed
or seriously injured than if hit
at 40km/h.
Pedestrians
Background
A pedestrian hit by a vehicle travelling at 50km/h is four
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than if
hit at 40km/h.
On average, 46 pedestrians are killed each year on
Victorian roads.
What you told us
}} 75 per cent of cyclists and pedestrians supported
expanding 40km/h zones in areas of high
pedestrians and cyclist activity.
}} 77 per cent supported an increase in the policing
of unsafe pedestrian behaviour.
}} 75 per cent supported increasing enforcement
against unsafe driving behaviour around pedestrians.
}} 67 per cent supported increasing safety education
for drivers on how to share the road with
pedestrians.
}} 61 per cent supported increasing the number of
pedestrian crossings and other pedestrian facilities.
What we know works
Experts estimate that the number of pedestrian and
cyclist injuries in Melbourne’s strip shopping centres that
have introduced a 40km/h speed zone has reduced by
nearly 17 per cent.
Strategic direction
Provide pedestrians with
improved infrastructure
and safer vehicle speeds
to reduce their risk and
support the uptake of
sustainable travel modes.
What we’re doing
Engineering
Using 40km/h zones to improve pedestrian
and cyclist safety
Develop guidelines to enable greater use of 40km/h
zones where and when the risks of pedestrian or
cyclist crashes are high.
Improving pedestrian and cyclist safety in ‘black areas’
Develop a new ‘black area’ program that will provide
safer infrastructure where clusters of pedestrian and
cyclist crashes occur.
Providing safer infrastructure on local
roads
Implement a grants program for local government to
provide safer walking infrastructure.
Education
Encouraging safe road sharing among all road users
Increase awareness of the vulnerability of pedestrians
and encourage safer and more considerate road sharing
among drivers and pedestrians.
Improving driveway safety
Deliver public education campaigns to increase
awareness of driveway safety and safety in low
speed environments.
Enforcement
Increase enforcement of unsafe behaviour that
endangers pedestrians.
What pedestrians can do
}} Cross safely using traffic lights or pedestrian
crossings.
}} Pause the music and don’t use the phone while
crossing the road.
What drivers can do
}} Take your time, especially at intersections,
to check for pedestrians.
}} Drive within the speed limit.
14
15
Cyclists
Background
A cyclist hit by a vehicle travelling at 50km/h is four
times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than
if hit at 40km/h.
On average seven cyclists are killed each year on
Victorian roads.
The proportion of crashes involving cyclists is currently
significantly higher at roundabouts than elsewhere. In
Victoria cyclists are involved in nine per cent of fatal and
serious injury crashes, while at roundabouts 25 per cent
of fatal and serious injury crashes involve cyclists.
What you told us
}} 84 per cent agreed with tackling unsafe cycling
behaviour through penalties and enforcement.
}} 79 per cent agreed that fines for cyclists who
disobey road rules should be the same as fines
for motorists.
}} 76 per cent supported increasing the number of
separated bike lanes and paths.
}} 75 per cent of cyclists and pedestrians supported
expanding 40km/h zones in areas of high
pedestrians and cyclist activity.
What we’re doing
Engineering
Using 40km/h zones to improve pedestrian
and cyclist safety
Develop guidelines to enable greater use of 40km/h
zones where and when the risks of pedestrian or
cyclist crashes are high.
Improving pedestrian and cyclist safety in ‘black areas’
Develop a new ‘black area’ program that will provide
safer infrastructure where clusters of pedestrian and
cyclist crashes occur.
Developing new cycling-safe roundabouts
Modify the design and function of roundabouts to give
greater safety to cyclists.
Providing safer infrastructure on local roads
Implement a grants program for local government to
provide safer cycling infrastructure.
Education
Encouraging safe road sharing among all road users
}} 73 per cent of survey respondents supported
increasing driver education on how to share the road
with cyclists.
Increase awareness of the vulnerability of cyclists and
encourage safer and more considerate road sharing
among drivers and cyclists.
What we know works
Enforcement
Targeted enforcement
Experts estimate that the number of pedestrians and
cyclist injuries in Melbourne’s strip shopping centres that
have introduced a 40km/h speed zone has reduced by
nearly 17 per cent.
Strategic direction
Provide cyclists with
improved infrastructure
and safer vehicle speeds
to reduce their risk and
support the uptake of
sustainable travel modes.
Increase enforcement of unsafe behaviour that
endangers cyclists and continually enforce cyclist
compliance with all road rules, especially obeying
traffic signals and helmet wearing.
Reviewing road rules
Review road rules and legislation to further protect cyclist
safety and ensure cyclists do not put others at risk.
What cyclists can do
}} Make yourself visible with reflective or light coloured
clothing.
}} Ensure you have lights on while riding at night.
}} Always wear a helmet.
}} Use bike lanes and paths when you can.
}} Stay alert and avoid distractions like headphones.
What drivers can do
}} Take your time, especially at intersections, to check
for cyclists.
}} Drive within the speed limit.
16
17
Country road users
Background
People in the country are three times more likely to
die and 40 per cent more likely to be seriously injured
in road crashes than those in metropolitan Melbourne.
Nearly two thirds of all fatalities on Victoria’s rural and
regional roads are local residents.
Around a third of all fatalities on rural and regional
roads occur when a single vehicle leaves the road
and hits a tree.
Drink driving fatalities are nearly three times higher
in rural and regional Victoria than in metropolitan
Melbourne when population is taken into account.
What you told us
}} 81 per cent supported putting in more protective
barriers and removing hazards.
}} Education should be conducted through trusted
community hubs like sports and social clubs.
}} A higher priority should be put on maintenance of
regional and rural road infrastructure, including wider
shoulders on roads, sealed edge lines, and better
line marking.
What we know works
Investing in the safety of our roads and roadsides is a
proven measure to reduce road trauma. Evaluation of
the Safer Road Infrastructure Program shows a 36
per cent reduction in fatal and serious injury crashes
at those sites that have been treated.
What we’re doing
Engineering
Expanding the Safer Road Infrastructure
Program
Expand the Safer Roads Infrastructure Program (SRIP),
which aims to reduce the incidence and severity of
crashes along roads with a relatively high number of
serious casualty crashes.
$100 million per year over the next ten years to
improve the safety of Victoria’s roads and roadsides on
treatments such as the sealing of shoulders, installation
of rumble lines, wire rope barrier or guardrail and
intersection improvements.
Country roads and bridges
Complete delivery of the $160 million state-wide
program of works to improve country roads and bridges
Improving the safety of country roads for motorcyclists
Continue to improve the safety of country roads under
the Motorcycle Blackspot Program targeting popular
touring routes and specific sites that have particular
risks for motorcyclists.
Improving level crossing safety in country Victoria
Improve safety at Victoria’s regional level crossings by
investing in measures such as the installation of boom
barriers and flashing lights.
Using 40km/h zones to improve pedestrian
and cyclist safety
Develop guidelines to enable greater use of 40km/h
zones where and when the risks of pedestrian or cyclist
crashes are high.
Strategic direction
Improve the safety of
Victoria’s rural and regional
roads and roadsides. Target
unsafe driving/riding in
country Victoria through
intelligence-led enforcement
and targeted education.
Education
Talk the Toll Down
The TAC Talk the Toll Down campaign encourages
country Victorians to talk about road safety through
local newspapers sharing stories of road trauma and
highlighting local road safety issues, encouraging
regional communities to keep safe and keep each
other safe.
Helping disadvantaged young people
in country Victoria gain critical driving
experience
The TAC will continue to fund the L2P learner
driver mentor program delivered by VicRoads,
which helps learners under 21 years who don’t
have a supervising driver or vehicle to gain the
driving experience they need to apply for a
probationary licence.
Educating recreational and weekend riders
Deliver new campaigns on the risks associated with
recreational and weekend motorcycle riding in country
Victoria and on long route rides.
Enforcement
Strengthening enforcement in country
Victoria
Continue to deliver on the regional Victoria road trauma
reduction strategy through more strategic and targeted
enforcement of drink driving, expanded roadside drug
testing and increased use of speed detection devices.
What you can do
}} Drive to the speed limit and road conditions.
}} Don’t drink and drive.
}} Make sure you are rested before you start a long
journey and take a break every two hours.
18
19
Roads and speed limits
Background
Road deaths and serious injuries happen most often
at intersections and on rural and regional roads with
speed limits of 100km/h where a single vehicle runs
off the road and collides with a roadside object such
as a tree or a pole.
Much of Victoria’s growth is in outer metropolitan
Melbourne, and the design of urban environments
has a major effect on where and how people travel and
therefore on their road safety.
Paths for safe walking and cycling, public transport,
local services and amenities reduce the need for
car travel, reducing deaths and serious injuries and
providing substantial community health benefits.
What you told us
}} New and better infrastructure is needed.
}} A higher priority should be given to maintenance
of regional and rural road infrastructure, including
wider shoulder on roads, sealed edge lines, and
better line marking.
}} Strong support for making roadsides clear of trees
and road furniture.
}} 76 per cent supported improving the visibility of road
signs and making road features less complicated.
}} 76 per cent supported increasing the number of
separated bike lanes and paths.
What we know works
In Victoria, there are three common categories of
crashes: crashes at intersections, head-on crashes
and crashes where vehicles go off the road.
The TAC-funded Safer Roads Infrastructure Program,
delivered by VicRoads, has reduced these types of
crashes and where work has been done, fatal and
serious injury crashes have dropped by an average
36 per cent.
Strategic direction
Incorporate safe system
principles into the design
of roads and roadsides
and the setting of speed limits and develop
innovative infrastructure
solutions.
What we’re doing
Engineering
Making our roads and roadsides safer
}} Boost expenditure on the Safer Roads Infrastructure
Program to $100 million per year over the next ten
years, or $1 billion over the life of the strategy.
}} Continue to improve the safety of roads under the
Motorcycle Blackspot Program targeting popular
touring routes and specific sites that have particular
risks for motorcyclists.
Road network management – SmartRoads
The SmartRoads approach gives different kinds of
transport priority on key roads. So while all forms of
traffic will be able to use each road, certain routes will
be developed to give priority to cars or trucks, or public
transport, or pedestrians and cyclists.
Improving level crossing safety
}} Remove the worst level crossings in Melbourne.
}} Improve safety at Victoria’s regional level crossings
by investing in the installation of boom barriers and
flashing lights.
Working with developers to incorporate
road safety in the design of new suburbs
and developments
Make sure that new suburbs are designed with
infrastructure that will give people safe travel choices.
Implementing outcomes of the Victorian
Speed Limit Review
We will simplify speed zones by:
}} gradually phasing out 90km/h and 70km/h
speed zones;
}} removing frequent speed limits changes over
short distances; and
}} reducing sign clutter on busy roads.
Drivers will see fewer speed zones and this will
reduce potential confusion and help people drive
to the speed limits.
What you can do
}} Drive to the conditions, so if there are hazards
slow down.
}} Report hazards where you see them.
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21
Young drivers
Background
Road crashes are the single biggest killer of young
Victorians aged 18-25 years.
Young drivers make up more than a quarter of all drivers
killed in Victoria, yet this age group represents only
about 12 per cent of all Victorian licence holders.
Federal Government research found that 80 per cent of
23 and 24 year olds admitted to recently exceeding the
speed limit and 55 per cent said they recently used a
mobile phone while driving.8
What you told us
}} 92 per cent supported increasing education of
young drivers around road safety risks.
}} 81 per cent supported increasing policing of unsafe
driving behaviour by young drivers.
}} 70 per cent support increasing penalties for unsafe
driving by young drivers.
What we know works
In Victoria, new drivers are introduced to driving
progressively through the Graduated Licensing System.
Strategic direction
Continue to improve
the safety of young
drivers through stronger
enforcement, incentives
and countermeasures
that target the road safety
hazards that put young
drivers at particular risk.
The system provides a structured transition as the new
driver’s experience and maturity increase. Evaluation
of the new Graduated Licensing Scheme is showing
it to be highly effectively in bringing down the risks for
Victoria’s young drivers with 31 per cent, or 75 fewer
first-year drivers, involved in fatal and serious injury
crashes per year.
What we’re doing
Education
Targeting information to young people likely to take high risks when they’re driving
Identify young people most likely to engage in
high-risk driving behaviour and deliver a supportive
education program tailored to their needs that
encourages safer driving.
Helping our children become good drivers
}} Make parents and guardians aware of the effects
of their role in modelling positive driving for their
children.
}} Remind parents about how they can continue to
help their children remain safe in their first few years
of driving.
Reducing distraction from peer
passengers
Use youth related education campaigns to raise
awareness of the risks associated with distraction
from peer passengers.
Extending the Fit to Drive program to be
available in all schools in Victoria
Fit to Drive is a community program for young people
that concentrates on personal safety and responsibility
giving them strategies to make them safer on the
road. The program actively encourages and empowers
young people as road users to look after themselves
and their friends.
Targeting those with a history of offending
Develop a Fit to Drive program for young offenders and
young people at risk of traffic offences.
Helping young disadvantaged Victorians
gain critical driving experience
The TAC will continue to fund the L2P learner
driver mentor program delivered by VicRoads,
which helps learners under 21 years who don’t
have a supervising driver or vehicle to gain the
driving experience they need to apply for a
probationary licence.
Enforcement
Extending the ban on mobile phone use
We will extend the ban on mobile phones from
probationary P1 drivers to P2 drivers.
Currently, only P1 drivers (first year probationary drivers)
must not use a mobile phone while driving, including
hands-free devices, while P2 drivers have been
permitted to use hands-free devices.
What young drivers can do
}} Don’t have your party in the car – keep the
distractions like music and chatting down so
you can concentrate.
}} Drive the safest car you can afford.
Check howsafeisyourcar.com and the first
car buyers list for young people.
}} Drive within the speed limit.
}} Don’t drink and drive when you come off your Ps.
}} Take it easy when you first get your Ps, build up to
long distances and late night driving.
}} Leave the phone alone – don’t talk, text or surf the
Net while driving.
What parents and guardians
can do
}} Make sure they have safe transport, and consider
still picking them up from parties yourself even
though they have a licence.
}} Talk to kids about staying safe on the
roads and model safe driving habits by driving
to and obeying all road rules.
22
23
Older road users
Background
Currently, drivers aged 75 years and above have a
higher risk of dying in a crash than any other age group
when the relatively short distances they travel are taken
into account.
With the number of Victorians aged 75 years and above
forecast to increase by 42 per cent by 2022, improving
the ability of older Victorians to get around safely is a
vitally important community health issue.9
What you told us
}} 85 per cent of survey respondents supported
educating older drivers on how to assess if they’re
safe to continue driving.
}} 85 per cent of survey respondents supported
providing more alternative transport options for
older people.
}} 76 per cent of survey respondents supported
improving the visibility of road signs and making road
features less complicated.
Strategic direction
Support the safe mobility
of all older people through
information to support
safe travel choices and by
improving infrastructure
design for older drivers and pedestrians.
What we know works
In 2003, the Victorian Parliamentary Road Safety
Committee conducted an Inquiry into Road Safety for
Older Road Users and recommended that age-based
assessment not be introduced as it does not lead to
improved road safety outcomes.
Recent research supports this recommendation as it
shows that Victorian older drivers are at least as safe
as drivers in other Australian states or territories where
there is some form of age-based assessment.
What we’re doing
Engineering
Reducing the complexity of the road environment
}} Simplify Victoria’s road environment with less
complex intersections and improved road signage.
}} Clearer signs at major intersections and on major
routes to give older drivers advanced warning to
make manoeuvring decisions.
Education
Letting people know about what will keep them safe
Target older drivers, their friends, family and medical
practitioners with information like the Victorian Older
Drivers’ handbook and the SafeDrive seminar program,
to help older drivers make good decisions about how
they get around.
What older drivers can do
}} Do your health checks regularly to make sure that
your eyes, mind and ears are in good shape for
safe driving.
}} Drive the safest car you can afford with side air bags
if possible.
What families and friends can do
}} Talk with older drivers that you know to see whether
they’re keeping up their health checks.
}} Report to VicRoads any serious or chronic medical
condition or disability that can affect driving.
Motorcyclists
Background
Despite the growth in the numbers of motorcycles and
scooters over the last decade, Victoria maintains the
lowest fatality rate per registration of any Australian
State. However motorcyclists still account for 16 per
cent of deaths on our roads.
Learner and first year licensed riders account for nearly
one third of motorcyclists’ fatal and serious injury
crashes in Victoria, so rider inexperience is a major
contributor to road trauma.
Almost half of TAC motorcyclist claims include injury to
legs and feet. Legs are the most frequently injured body
part in motorcycle claims.
Strategic direction
Make greater use of
motorcycle safety
technology and protective
clothing. Better prepare new riders to be safe and
target enforcement of
unsafe road use among all motorists.
What you told us
}} 80 per cent supported improving education about
sharing the road with motorcyclists.
}} 79 per cent supported increasing policing of unsafe
behaviour by motorcyclists.
}} 77 per cent supported a requirement for
motorcyclists to wear protective clothing
}} 68 per cent of survey respondents supported a
requirement for motorcycles to have the same level
of identification as other vehicles.
What we know works
Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) technology has the
potential to significantly reduce serious motorcycle
crashes, particularly at intersections.
Research shows that the overall effectiveness of ABS
was 38 per cent on all crashes with injuries and 48 per
cent on all severe and fatal crashes.
A recent study conducted in Australia showed that
motorcyclists were 21 per cent less likely to be admitted
to hospital if they crashed while wearing motorcycle
jackets, and the risk reduced further if they were also
wearing motorcycle pants (51 per cent) or gloves.10
Wearing boots (not necessarily motorcycle boots) was
associated with a 53 per cent reduced risk of any injury
compared to shoes or joggers.
24
25
What we’re doing
Engineering
Improving road and roadside infrastructure
for motorcyclists
Continue to improve our roads under the Motorcycle
Blackspot Program, targeting popular touring routes
and specific sites that have particular risks for
motorcyclists.
Advocating for an Australian Design Rule
for Anti-lock Braking Systems (ABS) on
new motorcycles
Victoria will encourage the Federal Government to
introduce an Australian Design Rule for ABS to be
fitted on all new motorcycles sold in Australia.
Education
Improving training for motorcyclists
Introduce a graduated licensing system for motorcyclists
to help beginners develop critical riding skills under
safe conditions.
Education and media campaigns targeting
all road users
Continue the ‘put yourself in their shoes’ campaign that
highlights risks and actions for both drivers and riders in
sharing the road together.
Promoting the benefits of protective
clothing
}} Develop new education materials that highlight
to motorcyclists the benefits of wearing protective
clothing.
}} Introduce a mandatory requirement for motorcyclists
to wear boots that are at least ankle high to better
protect them.
Educating recreational and weekend riders
Deliver new campaigns on the risks associated with
recreational and weekend riding in country Victoria and
on long route rides.
Enforcement
Reducing speeding among motorcyclists
Work towards resolving the current inequity that exists
between motorcyclists and other road users where
motorcyclists are not detected when committing traffic
offences due to the lack of a front number plate.
What motorcyclists can do
}} Wear a full range of protective clothing, especially
boots every time you ride.
}} Make yourself visible by wearing light coloured
or reflective gear.
}} Make sure your next bike has an anti-lock braking
system (ABS).
}} Ride within the speed limit.
What drivers can do
Take your time, especially at intersections, to check
for motorcyclists.
Unlicensed drivers
Background
Unlicensed drivers and riders are involved in
approximately eight per cent of all fatal crashes.
Unlicensed drivers include people who have not
yet obtained a licence and people who have had
their licence suspended.
Unlicensed drivers and riders operate outside of
the licensing system and pose a safety risk to other
road users.
Based on research undertaken in Australia, the UK
and USA, it is estimated that between 25 per cent and
75 per cent of unlicensed drivers continue to drive.11
Given the over-representation of unlicensed drivers in
road crashes, we can achieve very large road safety
gains by keeping unlicensed drivers off the roads.
What we know works
Enforcement technologies such as Automatic Number
Plate Recognition (ANPR) Systems are highly effective
in detecting unlicensed drivers and unregistered
vehicles. ANPR also provides a strong deterrent to
those contemplating driving whilst unlicensed.
Strategic direction
What we’re doing
Engineering
Technology to prevent an unlicensed
driver from driving
Investigate the feasibility of technology that will link
driver licences with a vehicle, allowing only licensed
drivers to operate a vehicle.
Enforcement
Introducing a requirement for all Victorian
drivers/riders to carry a current driver’s
licence
Require all drivers and motorbike riders to carry their
licence when they’re on the roads, rather than our
current seven-day provision for drivers to present their
licence to a police station.
Increasing the ability to detect unlicensed drivers
Trial mobile Automatic Number Plate Recognition
Systems (ANPR) that will detect unlicensed and
unregistered vehicles while they are on the move.
What you can do
Don’t get in a car with an unlicensed driver.
Remove unlicensed drivers
from our roads through
targeted, technology-driven
enforcement.
26
27
The number of
trucks on Victoria’s
roads is projected
to double by 2025.
Trucks
Background
Trucks are involved in 16 per cent of fatal crashes.
The number of trucks on Victoria’s roads is projected
to double by 2025.12
In targeted operations by Victoria Police, an average
of one in 11 truck drivers returned a positive test to
illicit drugs.
What you told us
}} 85 per cent agreed with increasing policing of heavy
vehicle driver road behaviour (such as tailgating).
}} 84 per cent agreed with increasing driver education
about sharing the road with trucks.
}} 82 per cent agreed with increasing road safety
education for truck drivers.
}} 82 per cent supported a requirement for heavy
vehicles to be fitted with devices that can
detect fatigue.
What we know works
Nearly half of all truck drivers killed over the last three
years were not wearing a seatbelt.
Wearing a seatbelt doubles your chances of surviving a
serious crash, yet despite the benefits shown by road
safety research time and time again, too many people
do not take the time to put their seatbelt on.
What we’re doing
Engineering
Road network management – SmartRoads
Continue developing the SmartRoads approach,
which gives trucks and cars priority on key transport
routes and gives public transport, pedestrians and
cyclists priority on others. This reduces the amount
of interaction between trucks and the most
vulnerable groups.
Reducing fatigued driving among heavy
vehicle drivers
Trial fatigue detection technology for truck drivers
to determine the safety benefits of this technology.
Encouraging uptake of truck safety
features
Continue to promote the uptake of proven truck
safety features, such as advanced braking technology,
lane departure warning technology and seatbelt
reminder systems.
Object detection and warning technology has great
potential to help truck drivers detect other road users
such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.
Strategic direction
Safely accommodate
the increase in trucks
on Victoria’s roads using
technology and effective
management of Victoria’s
road network. Introduce
initiatives to encourage
everybody to share the road safely.
28
29
Education
Informing people about sharing the road
with trucks
Continue education programs such as the Road to
Respect campaign, which encourages both truck and
car drivers to recognise that each have a role to play in
sharing the road safely.
Develop a campaign to improve seatbelt wearing
by heavy vehicle drivers.
Enforcement
Strengthening and enforcing tailgating
laws
Develop new legislation and trial new technology to
allow greater enforcement of tailgating by all vehicles
including trucks at high risk locations such as tunnels.
Increasing drug testing of truck drivers
Increase drug testing of heavy vehicle drivers targeting
primary freight routes.
What truck drivers can do
}} Always wear your seatbelt
}} Drive a truck with the latest safety technology like
Emergency Brake Assist.
}} Don’t drive when you’re tired – take rest breaks.
}} Don’t take drugs and drive.
}} Don’t tailgate.
What other road users can do
}} Leave enough braking space, trucks need extra
space to stop.
}} Be aware that truck drivers cannot always see you
– particularly cyclists and pedestrians.
Vehicle safety
Background
All new cars sold in Australia must meet minimum
safety standards. On top of this, the Australian New Car
Assessment Program (ANCAP), Australasia’s leading
independent vehicle safety advocate that gives people
advice on car safety through its safety rating program,
recommends buying cars with 5-star safety ratings.
Seventy-five per cent of new cars registered in Victoria
last year had a 5-star safety rating.
Strategic direction
Increase the availability of vehicle safety features in the Victorian car market
and encourage the uptake
of these features.
On average, people involved in crashes with vehicles
made in 2007 are half as likely to die or be seriously
injured as those in vehicles made in 1987.13
Recent Victorian research shows that side airbag
systems are highly effective in preventing death
and injury in side impact crashes. It also showed a
51 per cent reduction of injury to all areas of the body.14
What you told us you wanted
}} 82 per cent supported encouraging car
manufacturers to incorporate all available safety
technologies into their Australian models.
}} 79 per cent supported giving people incentives to
encourage them to buy cars with high safety ratings,
especially younger drivers.
}} 73 per cent supported encouraging fleet owners to
buy cars with a 5-star safety rating.
What we know works
Driving a 5-star safety rated car can significantly reduce
death and serious injury.
Electronic Stability Control, one of the key mandatory
features of a 5-star safety rating, reduces the incidence
of a single vehicle crash by 29 per cent.
30
31
What we’re doing
Engineering
Increasing the safety standards of new
Victorian Government passenger vehicles
Make sure that all new light passenger vehicles bought
for Victorian Government use have a 5-star Australasian
New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) safety rating.
Trialling in-vehicle warnings devices that
alert drivers of approaching hazards
Trial in-vehicle warning devices to alert drivers of
approaching hazards, such as trains approaching
level crossings.
Education
Howsafeisyourcar.com
Continue to give people independent information
about the safety of new cars based on results from the
Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP)
and used cars from the Used Car Safety Ratings, which
analyse real world crash data.
Providing advice for younger and older
drivers
}} Continue to update and promote the first car buyers
list, which has been especially designed for young
people who are thinking about buying their first car.
}} Give older drivers information to consider important
safety features when buying a car, such as headprotecting airbags and features that make driving
easier and more comfortable - especially important
in the case of older drivers.
What you can do
Drive the safest car you can afford, ideally a 5-star
safety rated vehicle.
32
33
Endnotes
Coroners Prevention Unit (2012), Presence of alcohol and
drugs amongst deaths from on-road transport crashes in
Victoria 1 January 2008 – 31 December 2011. Melbourne,
Coroners Court of Victoria.
1
Ibid.
2
E Ogden, C Morris, T Frederiksen, C Stough, R King,
Do minor tranquilisers (benzodiazepines) increase risk
of collision in which the driver is injured, Australasian
Road Safety Research, Policing and Education
Conference, Perth, 2011.
3
Ibid.
4
Carsten,O. and Tate, F. ‘Intelligent speed adaptation:
accident savings and cost–benefit analysis’.Accident
Analysis & Prevention 37 (2005), Elsevier Ltd, Amsterdam.
5
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, ‘New
data from Virginia Tech Transportation Institute provides
insight into cell phone use and driving distraction’,
viewed November 2012, http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/
articles/2009/07/2009-571.html
6
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University,
‘Transportation Institute releases findings on driver
behavior and crash factors’, viewed November 2012,
http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2006/04/2006-237.html
7
Vassallo, S., Smart, D., Cockfield, S., Gunatillake,
T., Harris, A.,& Harrison, W. (2010). In the driver’s seat II:
Beyond the early driving years, (Research Report No.17).
Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.
8
Department of Planning and Community Development,
Victoria in future 2012: Population and household
projections for Victoria and its regions 2011-2031,
Victorian Government, Melbourne, 2012.
9
L de Rome, R Ivers, M Fitzharris, W Du, N Haworth,
S Heritier, D Richardson, ‘Motorcycle protective clothing:
protection from injury or just the weather?’ Accident
Analysis & Prevention, vol. 43, iss. 6, Elsevier Ltd,
Amsterdam, 2011.
10
Watson, B., Methodological problems associated with
surveying unlicensed drivers, in Proceedings of the 1998
Road Safety Research, Policing and Education Conference,
Wellington, New Zealand.
11
Department of Transport (DoT), Freight Future: Victorian
Freight Network Strategy, DoT, Melbourne, December 2008.
12
R Cook, Best practice road safety initiatives in Australia,
keynote address, Australasian Road Safety Research, Policing
and Education Conference, Canberra, September 2010.
13
D’Elia, A., Scully, J. & Newstead,S. Evaluation
of Vehicle Side Airbag System Effectiveness, Monash
University Accident Research Centre, Melbourne, 2012.
14
34
35
For this document and
current road safety information
visit roadsafety.vic.gov.au
PB
36