Regional Victoria road toll: Police issue urgent warning ahead of Easter 2022

Fatalities on country Victorian roads have skyrocketed by 41 per cent as an interactive map shows every life lost so far, and police issue a desperate plea ahead of Easter.

Regional Victoria’s road toll has skyrocketed by 41 per cent compared to this time last year, as police launch a major campaign to stop the tragic statistics from climbing.

There have been 48 lives lost on roads in rural Victoria in 2022, compared to 34 this time last year.

Across the state, there have been 78 people killed, 12 ahead of 2021.

It comes after Victoria experienced its deadliest weekend this year when five people were killed across the state last weekend, including a young police officer and mechanic in Mildura.

Police have vowed to take swift action ahead of Easter, launching a major campaign targeting high-risk areas across Victoria — specifically in regional areas.

“Operation Compass will see police flood roads and highways across the state in a major effort to reduce road trauma,” a Victoria Police spokesman said.

“There have been 11 lives lost already this month, including five fatalities which occurred over the first weekend of the Victorian school holidays.”

Victoria Police assistant commissioner for road policing Glenn Weir said Easter was a “high-risk period”, with significant travel already occurring across Victoria.

“We’ll be doing everything we can to prevent more lives being lost – expect to see lots of police, lots of police vehicles and plenty of alcohol and drug testing during this period,” he warned motorists.

Operation Compass will run until April 25, covering Easter and Anzac Day public holidays.

Police said 1175 offences detected by police in March which they say helped drop fatalities by 18–23 per cent compared to the five year average.

Assistant commissioner Weir said the crackdown had produced the “lowest March on record” but added police would continue to work to drive fatalities down.

Transport Accident Commission CEO Joe Calafiore said the significant increase in regional road deaths was concerning.

“Excessive speed, fatigue and impairment are major factors in regional areas, and when travelling longer distances in high-speed zones the consequences are more severe when something goes wrong,” he said.

“The message is clear – plan ahead, slow down, don’t drink- or drug-drive, put your phone away and make safe choices.”

Lewis Bradbury was tragically killed in a crash at Bena on February 15.

Last year the highest number of fatal crashes occurred in Gippsland with 24 deaths, making it the worst region, alongside Barwon South, for road deaths.

The South Gippsland Highway alone has seen 13 lives lost in the past five years, including 19-year-old Lews Bradbury, who died after his car smashed into a truck and burst into flames.

At the time, Wendy, Lewis’s mother, told Leader she was “broken without her baby”.

“I so desperately want to hug him again, just one more time,” she said.

There have since been road upgrades on the South Gippsland Highway to reduce the frequency and severity of crashes.

Work is under way on a second bridge across the Tarwin River and the Great Southern Rail Trail, after the first bridge was completed across the river in December last year.

Once finished, the bridges will link the new highway alignment to the existing highway.

Member for Eastern Victoria Jane Garrett said it would improve safety for motorists.

“We’re upgrading the South Gippsland Highway between Koonwarra and Meeniyan to improve safety and ease congestion for the thousands of motorists who travel this stretch of road every day,” she said.

In other parts of Victoria, work on Berrys Beach Rd in Ventnor on Phillip Island has also started.

A spokesperson for the Bass Coast Shire said the road would be widened and vegetation would be cleared to improve “traffic safety”.

It comes after a major overhaul of the island’s speed limits was introduced to combat the rising road toll on the state’s coast.