Region’s road deaths shame

JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
GEELONG has the highest fatality rate in regional Victoria with 26 road deaths, latest TAC statistics have revealed.
Greater Geelong had six fatalities in 2009, nine in 2010 and 11 so far this year, the figures showed.
Surf Coast Shire recorded nine road deaths and Golden Plains seven during the same period.
The horrific toll is the target of a new regional TAC campaign, Talk the Toll Down.
The campaign, a partnership between 60 Victorian regional newspapers and the TAC, began this week.
Premier Ted Baillieu launched the campaign with an appeal for Victorians to help slash the toll by encouraging each other to be safe on the roads.
Talk the Toll Down is TAC’s first extensive print campaign across regional Victoria.
The Independent is the Geelong campaign partner.
“The TAC and its partner newspapers will be urging regional Victorians to talk the road toll down,” Mr Baillieu said.
“We’re calling on regional Victorians to take ownership of the road safety issue in their community and pull each other up on bad behaviour.
“It’s up to all of us to do our part to reduce the road toll.
“Open discussions between friends and families can have a greater impact than being told what to do by the authorities.”
TAC research revealed that country Victorians were more likely to think they could get away with risky behaviour on the road.
TAC’s Joe Calafiore said of the 211 road fatalities in Victoria to midnight on September 30, 116 were in regional Victoria.
Mr Calafiore said speed was a key focus for the TAC because it was a major cause of road accidents.
“Speeding reduces the time drivers have to avoid crashes, their ability to control the vehicle and lengthens stopping distances,” he said.
“Our speed challenge is to make speeding as socially unacceptable as drink driving.”
The Talk the Toll Down campaign complements another joint TAC-Independent campaign called Shattered Lives – the Hidden Toll.
The series has been telling stories of road trauma survivors, emergency services personnel and counselling professionals dealing with the aftermath of serious injury and ongoing disabilities.
Independent managing editor Tony Galpin praised Talk the Toll Down.
“Our region has seen too much death and suffering. If you know someone whose driving is a worry, tell them to wake up to themselves.”
– Shattered Lives, page 13