By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
AS the road toll continues to climb, the Andrews Government is inviting all Victorians to have their say.
The current road toll is up 1.8 per cent on this time last year and the Minister for Road Safety Luke Donnellan said locals knew best.
“We want Victorians to tell us what they think about key road safety issues and how we reach our goal of zero deaths and serious injuries,” Mr Donnellan said.
Road safety initiatives have improved Victoria’s statistics over the past five decades reducing road deaths from 1061 in 1970 to 249 in 2014, however the position has slipped in recent years.
Australia is currently behind the UK, Sweden and The Netherlands in road deaths per 100,000 population and the State Government is calling for local input into their new Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan.
“Victoria has been a leader in road safety for decades, but we’re now falling behind. We need to search the world, and our own backyard, for the best ways to reduce road trauma,” Mr Donnellan said.
Six consultation sessions will be held across Victoria where residents will be encouraged to voice their ideas and thoughts on roads, road users and risk taking behaviours.
The sessions will run until Sunday 21 June with the Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan set to be launched later this year.
Casey residents are invited to a session at the Casey Fields VFL Pavillion Casey Scorpions Football Club at 160 Berwick-Cranbourne Road, Cranbourne East on Wednesday 17 June at 6pm.
To find out more information on the community consultation sessions or to complete the online feedback form, visit www.towardszero.vic.gov.au.
