A new strategy has passed through the draft phase and is due to be published shortly. The death toll is expected to be reduced by 50 percent by 2030 and the seriously injured by 30 percent to less than 29,000 a year.
The Chairman of the National Trauma Committee of the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Dr. John Crozier said not only did the country fail to meet its toll reduction goal, but the data on the serious injuries caused by the accident was up to four years ago.
Despite the string of lockdowns over the past 12 months, road deaths have increased across Victoria, raising concerns about a national strategy to halve the road toll.Credit:Joe Armao
He said injuries cost at least $ 30 billion, but the new road safety strategy would not address that failure or lack of consistent information about road deaths across the country.
“If a board of directors at a $ 30 billion a year mining company had problems like this and was working with data that was four years old, the board members would be pushed aside,” said Dr. Crozier.
Dr. Crozier said the death toll was a “silent epidemic” that should have the same government focus as the pandemic.
“The coronavirus pandemic brought all jurisdictions to action, worked together, shared information and the Commonwealth provided the vaccines,” he said.
“This is a silent epidemic that is occurring on our streets. In the past year, more people died on our streets than from COVID. “
Australian Automobile Association executive director MIchael Bradley said the country’s transport ministers need to turn their attention to the failure to cut tolls.
He said the new strategy needs to be underpinned by measurable measures, deadlines and defined responsibilities between governments.
“Australia’s deteriorating tolls are a poor reflection of our chaotic national approach to road safety, which recent investigations and reviews have shown that there is still a lack of clarity and coordination,” he said.
“At a time when Australians talk daily about COVID infections, hospitalizations, and deaths
Vaccinations broken down by age, gender and jurisdiction, nobody knows how many Australians were seriously injured on our streets last year, let alone the interventions that are likely to bring improvements in the future. “
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