Police in one Australian state predict another ‘catastrophic year’ of road deaths
Police say another “disastrous year” could be ahead on Victorian roads as the number of fatalities among motorcyclists and pedestrians rises.
The state’s traffic death toll in August was 173, the same as in 2,023.
Officers have reported a noticeable spike in the number of fatalities among motorcyclists and pedestrians.
The death toll among motorcyclists has almost doubled, from 23 in August 2023 to 42 in 2024.
Victoria Police said 29 pedestrians have been killed so far in 2024, up from 22 in 2023.
Deputy Commissioner Glenn Weir said on Saturday that the spike cannot continue and that the increase in motorcyclist deaths represents a “truly terrifying increase in trauma”.
He said the trend of bad driving behaviour is not going away and it is a problem not limited to Victoria but also occurs in other states across Australia.
“I’m really worried about the future with the better weather coming, the many events coming up and the many people out and about,” he said.
Police say Victoria’s roads could see another ‘catastrophic year’ as fatalities among motorcyclists and pedestrians rise. The aftermath of a crash is pictured
Officers have revealed a significant spike in the number of motorcyclists and pedestrians killed (pictured: police at the scene of a motorcycle crash in 2022)
Mr Weir said officers had dealt with many serious accidents involving injuries over the past four days, but added: ‘People can’t blame the weather.’
“None of them were caused by the conditions on the roads,” he said. “People need to stop looking for other things to blame and realize that they are in control.”
Speeding is the biggest culprit, but Victoria Police have also focused on distracted drivers, reckless driving and people not wearing seatbelts.
He said: ‘2023 has been a disastrous year on our roads… We don’t want to see this level of trauma again, but if we continue like this, it will unfortunately be similar or worse.’
Victoria Police are urging all road users to be alert, reduce their speed and exercise caution in traffic.
