The latest Transport Accident Commission (TAC) data shows serious injuries from road crashes in country Victoria have increased on last year.
The trend is highlighted in the TAC’s latest Road Safety Statistical Summary released today.
Last year’s figure of 1,819 serious injuries is up on the five year average of 1,723 and is a three per cent increase on the 2009/10 figure of 1,767.
The new statistics have been released as the TAC and road safety agencies remind Victorians to keep safe on the roads this Easter.
Fatigue is a constant concern with research showing that 13% of drivers admit to falling asleep at the wheel. Nearly half of those have fallen asleep on a journey of more than 2 hours and 66% say it happened on a country road or highway.
The TAC Chief Executive Officer Janet Dore said fatigue was a major contributing factor to road crashes and it was important to plan Easter journeys.
"Make sure you get a good night's sleep before you hit the road, plan your journey so you can take a break every two hours and take extra care on unfamiliar country roads," Ms Dore said.
"The TAC encourages Melbourne drivers planning an Easter road trip to make the most of the SES Driver Reviver stops across the state, to take a break and have a free coffee.
"To encourage younger drivers to stop, we are offering free music download vouchers at the Driver Reviver stops," Ms Dore said.
The TAC is also supporting Victoria Police’s major operation over Easter, where state highway patrol members will be targetting road trauma hotspots.
Police will be targetting fatigue, speed, distractions, alcohol and drugs. There will be an extra focus on motorcycle riders, both on and off road.
"Victoria’s road safety agencies are working to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads," Ms Dore said.
"But our latest serious injury data highlights that we also need the community to commit to reducing road trauma 100 per cent of the time."
The latest Transport Accident Commission (TAC) data shows serious injuries from road crashes in country Victoria have increased on last year.
The latest Statistical Summary includes:
- new serious injury data by 10,000 vehicles and 100,000 people. This data shows the volatile nature of serious injury data with sharp increases and decreases over the decade.
- a new section comparing serious injuries among road users in Melbourne and regional areas.
- the latest serious injury data by Police Service Area
Last Modified on 09/04/2012 15:32
