Victoria Police is issuing an urgent road safety warning to all road users as the total lives lost on Victorian roads this year reaches 173.
Six people have sadly lost their lives on the roads over the last 10 days, bringing the road toll to the same number as this time last year.
Excessive speed and driver impairment continue to be leading causes of both fatal and serious injury collisions.
There are particular concerns around vulnerable road users including pedestrians and motorcyclists.
42 motorcyclists have been killed this year, compared to 23 at the same time in 2023.
Factors including visibility, slippery road conditions, inappropriate speed, incorrect safety wear and failing to give way are contributing to the loss of life.
29 pedestrians have also died this year compared to 22 this time last year, including a 66-year-old Reservoir man who died on Friday following a collision in Preston on Monday.
Police recently completed Operation Eastern Snow, focusing on road users around the eastern Alpine areas.
The month-long operation detected more than 500 offences with speed contributing to nearly half of those offences.
Victoria Police is urging all road users to be vigilant on our roads. Stick to the speed limit, don’t drive under the influence, don’t drive distracted, drive to the conditions and plan ahead.
For more information and tips for staying safe on the roads visit the Road Safety page on the Victoria Police website.
Quotes attributable to Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir:
“If you are using a road in Victoria this weekend slow down and be aware of your surroundings.
“Once again, we are issuing an urgent plea to road users to take care and not be complacent.
“We are seeing a distressing number of people dying on our roads and in most cases, it could have been entirely preventable.
“I’d also like to acknowledge that we are also seeing a high number of serious injury collisions where in some cases people are receiving life altering injuries.
“2023 was a catastrophic year on our roads with 296 of people dying on our roads.
“We do not want to see this level of trauma again but sadly if we keep going at this rate it will be similar or worse.”
