Trauma: Janet Dore.
DANGEROUS drivers face a police crackdown in Geelong after the city ranked worst in Victoria for road trauma, the TAC has warned.
The organisation released figures this week showing Geelong had 443 crashes resulting in death or injury last year.
The TAC also received 505 claims for injury in accidents across the region.
Geelong had the state’s most “hospitalised” claims and the most from accident victims who spent more than 14 days in hospital, the TAC said.
“Geelong accounted for 4.2 per cent of all TAC hospitalised claims, or more than one a day.”
The TAC said 75 per cent of its Geelong claims were from drivers or passengers. Pedestrians accounted for 12 per cent of claims, motorcyclists nine and bicyclists five.
The majority of Geelong crash injury victims were young, with 33 per cent aged under 18 and 23 per cent between 18 and 25.
The TAC said crashes were mostly at night on weekends.
Weekday injuries in Geelong were highest during the day, spiking during morning and afternoon peak travel times.
Trauma levels peaked in December, May and October.
TAC chief executive officer Janet Dore said the statistics reflected the severity of accidents across the region.
“The good news is that this type of poor driver behaviour can be reversed and every Geelong resident has the power to turn the tide of this trend,” she said.
The next five worst areas for road trauma were the municipal areas of Casey, Melbourne, Dandenong, Yarra Ranges and Mornington Peninsula.
The TAC said it would work with Victoria Police to “coordinate enhanced activity focussing on drink and drug driving, speed and other driving offences”.
The release of the TAC figures followed an Independent Shat-tered Lives series telling the stories of road accident survivors and the people who deal with the aftermath of smashes on the region’s roads.
The Independent is also a partner in the TAC’s Talk the Toll Down campaign aimed at reducing accidents in regional Victoria.
The campaign encourages Victorians to spread the road safety message to friends, family and associates, asking them to drive with care.
