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Road fatalities continue to burden Victoria’s roads
The number of deaths on our roads rose by 12 per cent in 2021, despite a reduction in driving activity in the past year.
Thousands of Victorian drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and other road users are still being seriously injured or losing their lives on the state’s road each year in increasing numbers, with new data revealing where fatalities spiked in 2021.
Despite the curfews and driving radius limits in metropolitan areas during 2021, there were 237 road fatalities on Victorian roads in 2021 - 26 more than in 2020.
Data from the Australian Automobile Association has revealed the most impacted Melbourne 31 local government areas (LGAs) when it comes to road fatalities.
Road deaths in Cardinia and Casey, located south-east of Melbourne, more than doubled in 2021, with 14 lives lost in each area. The year prior, Cardinia and Casey recorded just three and four deaths respectively.
Six people also lost their lives on the road in the Melbourne municipality in 2021, double the 2020 figure.
Baw Baw was the deadliest regional LGA in Victoria with nine road-related deaths, just ahead of Greater Geelong and Mitchell, which reported seven traffic fatalities each.
RACV, along with the AAA, is calling for a 10-year, $3 billion regional road safety plan as part of a suite of motoring and mobility infrastructure policies ahead of the federal election. Nationally, regional road deaths represent around 62 per cent of road fatalities, despite the regions accounting for less than a third of the population.
“We have also identified that $350 million is required to upgrade high-risk intersections in metropolitan Melbourne, including funding for raised safety platforms, roundabouts and grade separation,” Executive General Manager of Motoring and Mobility, Phil Turnbull, said.
“A further $250 million is required to make local streets safer, including speed reductions in high pedestrian zones and investment in chicanes and traffic calming safety infrastructure.”
Road toll statistics
National road death figures show Queensland was the most dangerous state to drive in during 2021. The Sunshine State accounted for 275 of the 1129 deaths on Australian roads. That figure is five more than NSW, despite the latter state having almost three million more inhabitants. Victoria’s total of 237 fatalities was 26 up on 2020.
An RACV survey of Victoria’s most dangerous regional roads saw the A1 Princess Highway from Stratford to Bairnsdale rated as the worst stretch of bitumen, ahead of the Deans Marsh-Lorne Rd in Benwerrin.
Some areas defied the trend. Greater Shepparton posted three fatalities, down from six the year before, while East Gippsland’s toll dropped from nine in 2020 to four last year and road deaths in the Yarra Ranges fell from eight to four.
AAA Managing Director, Michael Bradley, said: “Australia’s worsening road toll reflects poorly on our chaotic national approach to road safety, which has been shown by recent inquiries and reviews to still lack clarity and coordination”.
“National road trauma data collection and reporting remains shambolic, and Ministers considering Australia’s overdue National Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, need to prioritise this issue”, he said.
“At a time when Australians have daily reporting of COVID infections, hospitalisations, deaths, and vaccinations split by age, gender, and jurisdiction, nobody knows how many Australians were seriously injured on our roads last year, let alone the interventions likely to deliver improvements in the future.
Improving the roads
RACV estimates 80 per cent of Victoria’s 180,000km of regional roads with 100km/h limits need upgrading.
The Australian and Victorian Governments announced a $157.5 million investment earlier this year to fund 54 projects, bringing the Road Safety Program investment since January 2021 to $457 million.
This latest investment means the Road Safety Program will now deliver more than 180 safety improvement projects on state highways and arterial, and local roads. Upgrades include shoulder sealing and rumble strips to help motorists stay in control of their vehicle if they veer off the road, flexible safety barriers to prevent head-on and run-off-road crashes and upgrades to protect cyclists and pedestrians.
Despite the upgrades, the AAA says more needs to be done.
“Road trauma has killed more than 1,000 Australians every year since 1935, however national data co-ordination problems continue to thwart evidence-based policy and well-targeted funding,” Mr Bradley said.
2021 worst road fatality LGAs (Australia)
2021 worst road fatality LGAs (Australia)
No. of fatalities
Change from 2020
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