TAC data shows huge increase in young people dying on Victorian roads

The number of young people killed on Victorian roads has increased by a staggering 550 per cent during 2022.

The number of young people dying on the state’s roads has skyrocketed by 550 per cent this year.

There have been 105 lives lost on Victorian roads in 2022 to date — an increase of 18 per cent from the same time last year.

Of these, 64 have been lost in regional Victoria and 41 in Melbourne.

The data, from the Transport Accident Commission, highlights the shocking increase in people aged between 18 and 20 with at least 13 people in this age group killed in 2022, compared to only two last year.

The road toll includes 18-year-old Max Boggs who was killed after he was thrown from a car when it collided with another at Cobden in the early hours of Sunday.

His father, Ryan Boggs, described him as his “best friend” and said he made him feel “proud every day”.

Most fatalities in 2022 have been drivers while there have been increases in passenger, motorcyclist and pedestrian deaths.

It comes after early results from a Deakin University Freelancing HUB survey, conducted in collaboration with Road Safety Promotion Australia (ROSPA), were released this week.

Dozens of young rural drivers contributed to the survey, with improving road infrastructure, addressing the social acceptance of reckless driving and increasing pre-driver road safety education identified as the top three solutions to reducing road trauma in regional Victoria.

Respondents were asked if they had engaged with road safety education, if they had been involved in a crash and if so, the contributing factors.

Those who participated in driver education programs believed they were better and safe on the road.

One respondent said the course had boosted their confidence behind the wheel after obtaining their learner’s permit and had made them a “safer driver” with awareness of other road users.

The survey found young males were most at risk of being in a crash, but drivers who had engaged with education programs were less likely to be in one.

Increased penalties for speeding and drinking driving, increased breath testing and lowering speed limits were also flagged by respondents as possible solutions.

Not-for-profit ROSPA was established three years ago in an effort to reduce road trauma and deaths in regional parts of the state.

Based at Warrnambool’s Deakin University Campus and with board members from across regional Victoria – including Ballarat, St Arnaud and Warrnambool – it has informed ROSPA’s priorities; seatbelt wearing, driver distraction, fatigue, alcohol and drug impairment and excessive speeds.