Ambitious new road safety target set for Victoria

Victoria’s new top roads cop has set the ambitious goal of making 2021 the safest year on the state’s roads since records began in 1970.

Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir wants the road toll this year not to exceed 200.

The road toll so far is 149.

CEO of the Australian Road Safety Foundation, Russell White, says it’s time Australia turned to “slightly different ways” of achieving road toll cuts.

“We have to keep doing everything we’re currently doing, but I think we also need to start looking at personal responsibility, human factors and how do we better train and educate people,” he told Ross and Russel.

But Mr White says deaths aren’t the only thing to consider.

“We’re making the cars safer and that’s certainly having an impact, but we’re not stopping the amount of crashes we’re actually having,” he said.

“The number of hospitalisations has actually increased.”

Press PLAY below to hear how Mr White thinks Victoria can better address the road toll