Concern Over Australia’s Growing Road Accident Toll
Published April 26th, 2018
Despite Australia’s massive efforts through its National Road Safety Strategy, which was put in place to plan national objectives and priorities with regard to the road safety of our country, the death toll on our roads, especially over long weekends, has increased dramatically.
Only last year, wesaw the devastating figure of 1,266 deaths due to road accidents. However, that’s not the worst of it. So far this year, we have seen a 17% increase in the road accident toll compared to the same period last year.
This is what you should know about what government is planning to do to improve this problem and what you can do to prevent motor vehicle accidents:
- Government’s hope for road users
In recent years, both state and federal governments have campaigned for road safety. This year, new Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack issued$33 million in federal funding to combat the growing problem on our roads, focusing especially on known roads that have claimed many lives. Working closely with the Transport Accident Commission (TAC), the government hopes to continue to raise awareness of road safety to not only curb the dangers on our roads, but implore road users to drive with more care.
- Your vehicle
Although the government is taking steps to reduce the fatalities incurred by road traffic accidents, if you’re driving an unroadworthy vehicle that is in no shape to be driven, then you will only hinder any good efforts to reduce the fatalities. Your vehicle must be in good driving condition to ensure that your car does not put you or any other road users at risk. Ensure your brakes, steering and suspensions are all in good working condition. If in doubt, bring your car in for a service and do your part to help our country reduce the number of road accident fatalities.
- Your driving
Even with a well-maintained car in excellent driving condition, in the end, it comes down to how you drive and how well you observe the road. It’s important to become more conscious and advise others, especially youngsters, of the seriousness of road safety. Speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs or using your mobile phone while drivingare the most common causesof road accidents. Understanding the consequences of these actions has been at the core of the TAC’s mission over the last few decades and remains ever prevalent today.
With this information, we all need to do our bit to reduce the road toll, otherwise we’ll continue to lose thousands of lives every year. You can start off by ensuring your car is roadworthy and unlikely to cause an accident by bringing it in for a service at your closest ABS Service Centre.