Victoria’s road toll: 50 lives lost in ‘terrible’ start to 2022

Shattered families have spoken of their heartbreak as Victoria’s grim road toll skyrockets and police deliver an urgent plea for change.

Victoria has endured a “terrible” escalation in road deaths over the first two months of 2022 as authorities plead with drivers to stop risky behaviour.

There have been 50 lives lost in January and February — 43 per cent up on this time last year and 10 more deaths than the five-year average.

Victoria Police assistant commissioner for road policing Glenn Weir said it was a “terrible start to the year”.

“January to March is historically the highest risk period for road trauma and this year we’re also experiencing increasing traffic volumes across the state post-lockdown,” he said.

“It is evident that some motorists are engaging in risky behaviour behind the wheel, with speed, impaired driving and failure to wear a seatbelt suspected in several fatal collisions.”

Transport Accident Commission statistics show of the 41 deaths attributed to motorcyclists, passengers and drivers this year, eight were not wearing seatbelts or helmets.

The shocking statistics has led police to launch a major crack down on dangerous driving behaviours.

“March is becoming synonymous with road trauma and it’s about time we changed that – it’s completely unacceptable,” assistant commissioner Weir said.

He said officers would be out in force, cracking down on behaviours such as speeding, impaired driving, fatigue and people not wearing seat belts – launching ‘Operation Engage’ on March 1.

The families of the 50 people killed continue to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives.

Neve Canfield’s 18-year-old sister Bella died on January 19 when she was struck by a car while walking her dog near Salisbury West.

“It’s unbelievable to think such a good person can be taken away from us in the blink of an eye,” Neve said.

“You had everything lined up, and it was taken away.”

Wendy Bradbury said she was “broken” without her “baby” — her 19-year-old son Lewis who was killed in a head-on collision with a truck on February 15.

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

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

A concerning number of deaths on Victorian roads were among vulnerable road users, including 15 motorcyclists and six pedestrians – both more than double the lives lost over the same period last year.

More than 30 per cent of deaths were under the age of 30, and two thirds of deaths occurred in regional Victoria – a fact Transport Accident Commission CEO Joe Calafiore said was “concerning”.

“Sadly, in regional Victoria we have seen a significant increase in Victorian road deaths so far this year, which is disappointing given the record low we saw in 2021,” he said.

“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 commission was “determined” to stop the high numbers from continuing and would roll out campaigns focused on preventing high-risk behaviours.

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

The new Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, aims to halve road deaths and significantly reduce serious injuries by 2030.