Victoria's road fatalities this year are set to surpass all of 2022 and there are fears that fatal crashes will continue to rise during the busy summer months.
On Tuesday, on the Princes Freeway in Newborough, Latrobe Valley, a car driven by a 24-year-old man from Traralgon lost control and crashed into an obstacle, becoming the 237th person to die in 2023, The Times reported.
This is only four fewer than the total number of deaths in all of 2022 and more than the totals of 2021 and 2018. The first 10 months of the year were the deadliest on Victorian roads since 2016 and the second deadliest since 2010, with 32 more fatalities than the same period in 2022, according to the Traffic Accident Commission.
Assistant Superintendent of Victoria Police, Glenn Weir, said most fatal car crashes were caused by simple mistakes and "minor non-compliance" of road rules, and he urged drivers to be more cautious as they head into the summer months.
Police believe at least 19 people were not wearing seatbelts when they were killed in car crashes this year. Over the past five years, an average of 39 people have been killed in car crashes in November and December. Road fatalities have increased across Australia this year, with the total number of crash fatalities nationwide up 6.8 per cent to 946 at the end of September, largely due to a 28 per cent increase in deaths in NSW and a 60 per cent increase in deaths in South Australia.
Mr Weir said Victorians may have developed a misconception during the COVID-19 pandemic that dangerous driving could be avoided when there were fewer police officers on the road and alcohol and drug driving tests were suspended.
He said the police would take a "anytime, anywhere" approach to law enforcement in the coming months. Highway patrols and driving test assaults will take place at more times and in more locations throughout the day.
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