The RACV has released the results of its My Country Road survey, with more than 7,000 Victorians providing important data on the safety of regional roads across the state.
Potholes and poor road condition were the top issues identified, with an overwhelming 64 per cent of participants identifying these as the primary safety
issue, up from 46 per cent in 2021.
Potholes are a major safety risk for drivers as they try and avoid damaging their vehicles. Swerving to avoid a pothole at the last moment is dangerous as drivers may lose control of their vehicles or swerve into oncoming traffic.
The Tylden-Woodend Road from Woodend to Tylden, used by many locals travelling to Melbourne, received the second highest number of complaints across the state. Other roads that generated substantial concern were Kilmore Road from Monegeetta to Gisborne, and the Goulburn Valley Highway from Nagambie to Shepparton.
The most dangerous intersection in regional Victoria was identified as the junction of the Midland Highway and Howard Street in Epsom, north of Bendigo.
Overall, 14 per cent of participants supported ‘a lower or more appropriate speed limit’ as a measure to improve road safety. That response rose to 56 per cent on the top 12 worst roads, highlighting that many Victorians believe reducing the speed on highly dangerous roads is an appropriate approach.
RACV will use the data from the survey to encourage the state government and local councils to make commitments that deliver safer regional roads.
RACV Head of Policy James Williams said the data from the survey indicated that the condition of regional roads has become a major safety concern for Victorians. “Over 7,000 Victorians have provided us with data about safety on our regional roads, with potholes or poor road condition being the number one safety issue,” Mr Williams said. “As a safety advocate, it’s important that RACV closely examines what Victorians think are the factors contributing to unsafe road conditions, so we can provide that information to all levels of government and encourage action.
While in 2021, dangerous driver behaviour was the biggest safety concern on regional roads, the latest survey identifies poor road conditions as the most significant problem with more than double the number of responses as dangerous driver behaviour. Sixty per cent of survey participants thought that improving road surfaces should be the priority road safety solution.
Six of the top roads identified in the 2021 survey appear again this year, including the Melba Highway, Bass Highway, Bacchus Marsh Road, Phillip Island Road, Warburton Highway, and the junction of the Midland Highway and Howard Street in Epsom.
The full results of the My Country Road survey are available at racv.com.au/haveyoursay.
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In Some Parts of Australia, Local Roads are Falling Apart. Here’s an Easy Federal Fix.
This article is based on a media release from RACV.
