Victoria has seen the highest number of lives lost on its roads in 15 years, with police identifying single acts of non-compliance, or people making basic driving errors, contributing to more than half of fatalities.
There were 296 lives lost in 2023 compared with 241 in 2022, almost reaching the 2008 total of 303.
Police said behaviours such as low-range speeding, lower-level drink driving, failing to obey road signs, and distraction, like using a mobile phone while driving contributed to more than 50 per cent of fatalities on the state’s road last year.
At least 10 per cent of fatal collisions had one or more vehicle occupants failing to wear a seatbelt.
Extreme behaviours such as driving without a licence, travelling at extreme speeds, high-range drink driving, illicit drug driving or often a combination of these behaviours contributed to about 25 per cent of fatal collisions in 2023.
Multiple fatality collisions contributed significantly to the increase in lives lost with 14 double fatalities, four quadruple fatalities and two quintuple fatalities.
Statewide driver fatalities increased from 99 in 2022 to 130 in 2023, and passenger fatalities rose from 23 in 2022 to 56 in 2023.
There were 124 lives lost on metropolitan roads, up from 104 in 2022, and 172 lives lost on regional roads, up from 130 in 2022.
November was the worst month on Victorian roads, with 35 lives lost during the month.
Victoria Police Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir urged all road users to consider their actions and behaviours when getting behind the wheel.
“It’s been a horror year on Victoria’s roads – the severity of collisions has been especially tragic,” he said.
“The sheer number of lives lost has been devastating, but we must never forget that these are not numbers but people whose family and friends will mourn their loss for years to come.
“As we embark on a new year, I urge everyone to take this opportunity to stop and reset their behaviour on the roads.”
Assistant Commissioner Weir said all road users should remember they have a responsibility to keep everyone safe.
“This means sticking to the speed limit, not driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, avoiding distractions like mobile phones and ensuring everyone is wearing a properly fitted seatbelt,” he said.
“In 2024, we’ll continue to work with our road safety partners to make the roads a safer place for everybody.
“Ultimately, we want all road users to take responsibility for their actions and make better choices that will keep themselves, their passengers and all road users safe.
“It’s up to all of us to ensure we start the New Year with road safety front of mind and make every effort to ensure we don’t have another year like 2023.”
