The Transport Accident Commission (TAC) is urging motorists to avoid complacency in a new campaign highlighting that the majority of deaths on Victorian roads are caused by simple errors.
Welcoming the campaign, Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Ben Carroll said analysis of TAC data revealed that tragic judgement errors, as opposed to intentional risk taking, had played a role in around 70 per cent of Victorian road deaths since 2017.
“The new TAC campaign highlights the everyday concentration lapses that people are susceptible to when driving, and how distractions can have disastrous consequences,” Mr Carroll said.
“Last year, 128 (58 per cent) road deaths in Victoria involved a common basic error like taking a corner too wide or a concentration lapse, opposed to high-risk behaviours such as speeding, drink-driving and drug-driving,” he said.
“While intentional risky behaviour like excessive speed, using a hand-held device, drink driving and drug driving rightfully remain a strong focus of the Victorian road safety strategy, everyone is being reminded that even the best drivers can be a split second away from the unthinkable happening.”
Mr Carroll said the campaign came as the number of fatalities on Victorian roads remained above that of the same time last year, with 63 people having lost their lives compared to 57 in 2021.
The Minister said the latest TAC campaign would run across social media over the next month and followed the extension of the hard-hitting Lucky Ones Get Caught enforcement campaign and the new motorcycle safety campaign, Only Protected for a Moment.
