11-18^th May is National Road Safety Week 2025.

Road safety is an issue close to our hearts at GRIT Legal. We see the ripple effects of grief and turmoil first-hand when someone dies or is injured in a transport accident.

So far in 2025, there have been 86 lives lost on Victorian roads.¹ 60% of these deaths occurred on regional roads.²

According to the TAC, if we accept this 'road toll' as the price of a rural lifestyle or getting from A to B, another 2,500 people will die in the next 10 years and 50,000 people will be hospitalised with serious and life changing injuries.³

Although there are issues with the condition of regional roads, Victoria Police say that driver behaviour is largely contributing to road fatalities.⁴

In particular, fatigue is one of the leading factors contributing to transport accidents. Fatigue is a factor in up to 20 per cent of all road crashes in Victoria.⁵

Young drivers are more likely to be involved in fatigue related crashes, but any driver can suffer tiredness, even on short trips.

To avoid driving fatigued, take the following steps before you drive:⁶

· Get a good night’s sleep - ideally at least seven hours of good, undisturbed sleep.

· Avoid driving at times you’re normally sleeping.

· Understand the potential effects of any medication you're taking on your driving.

· Take regular breaks – at least every two hours.

· When possible, arrange to share the driving.

· When you know you’re fatigued, avoid driving altogether. Take a taxi or train, or rely on another driver.

Watch for the warning signs of fatigue:⁷

· Difficulty keeping to the centre of the road.

· Struggling to keep your eyes open.

· Blurred vision/eyes losing focus.

· Zoning out, loss of concentration or mind wandering.

· Nodding off to sleep, head nodding, or jerking back up (if this happens, stop driving).

· Not being able to recall the previous few minutes of driving (being on ‘auto-pilot’).

· Feeling bored, irritable, aggressive or impatient.

If you are driving and notice the warning signs of fatigue:⁸

· Seek somewhere to stop and rest.

· Pull over in a safe place (such as a rest area, tourist spots, PauseStop or Driver Reviver site) and take a break or have a 15 minute powernap.

· When possible, share the driving.

Sources:

[1] https://www.police.vic.gov.au/road-safety

[2] https://www.tac.vic.gov.au/road-safety/statistics/lives-lost-year-to-date

[3]source

[4] https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-news/australian-state-warns-about-sharp-rise-in-regional-road-deaths

[5] Fatigueand driving - Transport Victoria

[6] https://www.tac.vic.gov.au/road-safety/staying-safe/tired-driving?tab=2

[7] https://www.tac.vic.gov.au/road-safety/staying-safe/tired-driving?tab=2

[8] https://www.tac.vic.gov.au/road-safety/staying-safe/tired-driving?tab=2

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