Federal transport minister Catherine King says the government is committed to reaching its goal of zero road deaths in Australia by 2050.
Speaking at the Australian Trucking Association’s annual conference in Canberra, she believes road safety is still one of the biggest challenges facing the transport industry, and one they are looking to address quickly.
“The federal government is fully committed to improving road safety and reducing road trauma across the nation’s road network as we work towards Vision Zero by 2050,” King says.
“We’re pursuing this vision – that no one should be killed or seriously injured using our roads by 2050 – through the National Road Safety Strategy and Action Plan.”
Through the action plan, the federal government is delivering several key initiatives and changes that are aimed to reduce road trauma in Australia.
This includes road safety infrastructure programs targeted at improving regional road safety, increasing the uptake of new vehicle safety features and upgrading heavy vehicle rest areas.
Road safety research will also be reviewed to develop a national road safety research picture while all levels of governments will look to develop a framework to support local governments to conduct road safety network risk assessments and implement policies.
Last year Australia had a “catastrophic” number of road fatalities with 1,266 people killed on the road.
This is a 7.3 per cent increase compared to the previous year, with 15 per cent of all road crash deaths in Australia involving a heavy vehicle.
King says that while heavy vehicles do crash less often than other vehicles, these crashes are more likely to result in a serious death or injury.
“I know that many in this room will know personally some of those killed or injured on our roads – and my thoughts are with you all,” she says.
“That is why heavy vehicle safety is a priority under our government and under the Action Plan.
“This is a shared responsibility, requiring action from all levels of government, road safety agencies, industry and the community.”