Motorcyclist killed in first road death of 2020, police plead with drivers
A man has died in an early-morning crash in Melbourne’s north in a tragic start to the year, leading to a plea from police for motorists to pay attention.
VIC News
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Men, young drivers, country motorists and cyclists had a deadly year on Victorian roads.
Fifty more people died on the roads in 2019 than the year before.
But 2020 got off to a tragic start. A man in his 20s was killed on Pascoe Vale Road in Jacana about 2am on New Year’s Day when his motorcycle and another car, which was turning near Lichfield Ave, collided.
The female driver of the car was uninjured.
Victoria Police Sergeant Julie-Anne Newman said officers were investigating whether speed was a factor.
Police on Wednesday issued a plea to Victorians to think before getting behind the wheel in 2020.
In 2019, 263 people died on road across the state, up 50 from 2018, according to provisional figures.
Of those, 145 were in country Victoria — a third more than in the previous 12 months — and 75 per cent were men.
Those aged 18 to 24 accounted for 44 deaths, double the previous year’s figure, and 10 cyclists lost their lives, three more than in 2018.
Road Policing Command Libby Murphy cited impaired driving, speed and not wearing seatbelts as significant causes in what she said was a challenging year for both police and the community.
“There is no good number of lives lost and if 2019 has proven anything, it’s that we have a long way to go before we can achieve zero deaths,” AC Murphy said.
“No one wants a knock on the door from police and we certainly don’t want to be visiting homes, but that has unfortunately been the horrible reality 263 families were faced with last year.”
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The most dangerous months for road users were May and February, with 33 fatalities recorded in both months.
The number of lives lost in 2019 was the highest number since 2016, which recorded 290 deaths.
This year’s road toll currently sits at one, compared with zero at the same time in 2019.