Have Your Say - Silence Kills Too
MP Bev McArthur is encouraging the public to participate directly in a Parliamentary Inquiry into all aspects of road safety, launched in response to the alarming rise in deaths and serious injuries on Victoria’s roads last year.
The Western Victoria Region MP is a member of the Legislative Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee, whose Inquiry into the Increase in Victoria’s Road Toll is currently assembling evidence on the cause of the rise, and investigating solutions.
She said: “Public submissions are actively invited and the remit of the Committee is very wide, so I would strongly encourage anyone with ideas or experience on the matter to contribute. Their work doesn’t need to be long, or detailed, or deal with all potential causes – many submissions are less than a page long, and detail a specific idea or experience.”
“An important part of this process is engaging the expertise of the community. The quality of our final report and its recommendations depends on the wide range and experience of contributions.”
Mrs McArthur noted the terms of reference included consideration of: the driver drug and alcohol testing regime; smart phone use and driver distraction; driver assistance technologies in vehicles; speed limit enforcement; the maintenance and condition of road-surfaces; driver training and testing; and the collection and best use of road accident data.
“There is no single solution to the death and injury toll, and I am completely open-minded about the conclusions we will reach. Some established ideas may prove to be unjustified – other new suggestions worthy of support.”
“The terms of reference are not exhaustive, so everyone is free to submit their own analysis and answers. I know that some people will care most about the terrible state of some regional roads. Others believe wire-rope barriers make roads more dangerous, not safer. I want to make sure this enquiry has a regional perspective, and looks beyond urban and suburban settings. So I need people in regional Victoria to contribute their experience and views. Residents on the Great Ocean Road face may have a very different take on the competence of International drivers than Melbourne city-dwellers!”
Mrs McArthur concluded by noting the distinguished history that Victoria, and Parliamentary Committees, have had in cutting road-crash fatalities internationally.
“This really can make a difference. Victoria was the first jurisdiction in the world to mandate the wearing of seat-belts, in 1970, and the law was introduced because of a Parliamentary Committee’s Inquiry. It’s a change which has saved an incalculable number of lives in the last half century. There is no reason this Committee cannot do likewise, interrogating the ideas brought forward and finding world-leading recommendations to make our roads safer and our communities more productive.”
1 May 2020