A Heavy Toll

WHY WERE MORE AUSTRALIANS KILLED ON OUR ROADS LAST YEAR? AND WHAT ARE VICTORIANS DOING SO WRONG?

- Andy Enright

THE BALD FIGURES make for some sobering reading. In 2019, the number of lives lost on Australia’s roads jumped by 53 to a total of 1188, an increase of 4.7 percent compared to the previous year. Victoria’s figures were notably ugly, with 266 deaths in 2019, according to the state’s Transport Accident Commission (TAC) – 53 up in 2018. Jaala Pulford, Victoria’s minister for fishing, boating, roads, and the TAC, described the result as heartbreaking.

“It’s been a devastating year on Victoria’s roads with every loss of life someone’s mother, father, sister, brother, husband, wife or friend who will not come home tonight,” she said.

“That’s why we’re cracking down on dangerous driving, building safer roads and working on the next road safety strategy – but every Victorian has a role to play, to stop speeding, to put the phone away and drive safely.”