#FixVicRoads: Crumbling Victorian roads are killing country drivers, Farmers Federation warns

The head of Victorian Farmers Federation says crumbling and pothole-scarred rural roads are killing country drivers, but pleas for help are falling on deaf ears.

Victorian lives are being put at risk because of crumbling roads that are littered with potholes.

It comes as it’s revealed people in rural and regional areas are twice as likely to die in crashes on the state’s roads.

Victorian Farmers Federation president Brett Hosking said roads in rural areas crumbled over time because of droughts and floods, and needed to be regularly maintained for the safety of the country families who travelled them.

An alarming 15,000 potholes were reported on Victorian roads last year — averaging more than 120 per day — as new road craters continue to emerge.

The dangerous roads were now making regional Victorians scared to drive, Mr Hosking said.

“From surface issues to shoulder drop-offs and potholes, they are making the road conditions dangerous. We are seeing the deaths already, and no doubt it’s going to get worse, and it really needs to be fixed,” he said.

While it was dismissed as a major factor by authorities, Mr Hosking said he firmly believed bad surfaces were contributing to an uptick in deaths on rural Victorian roads.

His warning comes after a rise in reported road accidents and vehicle damage due to potholes and people complaining of tarmac on major high-speed roads being riddled with defects.

The latest road death statistics show 82 people have died on rural roads for the year to date, compared to 55 in metro areas.

This is 15 more deaths than the same period the previous year.

In March, the state coroner ruled that poor road conditions and wet weather led to the death of an elderly Belmont man on a notorious stretch of a Geelong highway.

Frank Baker, 77, died when a truck travelling on the Bellarine Highway in Wallington lost control, crossed the median strip, and slammed into his silver van on 3 May 2023.

The coroner raised road safety as a major concern, stating: “In the interest of public safety, to prevent further death and injuries, I recommend that the Secretary Department of Transport and Planning immediately prioritise the resurfacing of the westbound lanes of Bellarine Highway in Wallington (between Curlewis Road and Fenwick Street), Victoria”.

The Department of Transport confirmed to the Herald Sun that works had been fast-tracked and were finally completed last month — almost two years after the deadly accident.

Poor road conditions played a part in the death of Frank Baker on the Bellarine Highway. Picture: 7News

Just last week, a Lindenow farming family narrowly escaped a near-tragedy after the road they were travelling on crumbled beneath their vehicle.

Learner driver Layla Bartlett, 16, was behind the wheel with her mother Terese in the passenger seat on Buchan Rd in East Gippsland on June 2 when “the bitumen crumbled underneath our tyre,” Terese said.

The car was flung into the path of oncoming traffic which included a cattle truck and rolled several times leaving it a wreck.

Luckily the family walked away with minor injuries.

An alarming 15,000 potholes have been reported across Victoria. Picture: Supplied

A shredded Katamatite-Shepparton Rd at Congupna. Picture: Mark Stewart

RACV Head of Policy, James Williams, has warned that maintenance of roads has been falling short “for the last three years”.

“If they want to keep patching potholes, by all means keep patching that is fine in the short-term, but in the longer term they need to get back on top of their road maintenance or you’ve just got more work and more cost coming,” he said.

The biggest hotspot for potholes according to Snap Send Solve app data is the Mornington Peninsula, which topped the list with 1,720 reports lodged.

This was followed by Gippsland, which had 1,563 reports.

Despite reports of worsening road conditions, police and the Victorian Transport Accident Commission still report that speed, drugs and alcohol, as well as fatigue, are the biggest risk factors.

“There is no data or evidence to suggest that road conditions are a major factor contributing to trauma on our roads,” commission chief Tracey Slatter told the Herald Sun.

“Speeding, fatigue, distractions, not wearing seat belts and impairment continue to be major contributing factors to regional road trauma.

“We can all play our part in helping prevent road trauma every time we get behind the wheel – slow down, obey road rules and signs, don’t drink or drug drive, wear a seatbelt, and avoid distractions and driving tired.”

Join the Herald Sun’s Fix Victorian Roads movement by using the hashtag #FixVicRoads on social media.

Originally published as #FixVicRoads: Crumbling Victorian roads are killing country drivers, Farmers Federation warns