THE MOST DANGEROUS ROAD STATE REVEALED

2 Safety is a top priority for us vanners, but we can only do so much before we need council to step in and help save lives – and this is where our vanners say Victoria is failing. It’s not just us having a go for no reason. The truth is in the numbers, with a 12% rise in rural road related deaths this year and a five-year average showing 21 fatalities in rural areas compared to 18 in Victoria’s big cities! So why do the country folk draw the short straw? It’s clear that there’s been more fatalities, yet the cities are still having their roads made a priority, despite some country ones screaming out for a make-over. We had one Victorian vanner say that he doesn’t even drive down select roads anymore because he’s worried about how bad they are – and we don’t blame him! “The body responsible appear oblivious to the deteriorating state of our country roads. They claim that regular inspections are made of the road system. Well, if this is carried out it must be done by people who simply don’t care, as I could take you to places where potholes and broken road surfaces have existed for six months or more,” “I will no longer tow my caravan along Bacchus Marsh – Gisborne Rd” Trevor said. It’s not just the caravanners who’ve noticed this either, with Western Victoria MP, Simon Ramsay, saying he is desperate for safety works to be fast-tracked on this exact road. “There’s no doubt the state of the road is contributing to not only fatalities, but collisions generally.” Mr Ramsay said. With an MP and hundreds of locals backing these desperate attempts to save lives, we have to ask whether the council and government bodies are listening. Trevor said that council provide ‘rough surface’ signs that fill dozens of roadside areas, but it’s simply not good enough to have a bandaid solution for such critical areas. We’re asking the Victorian Government to give country people the help they deserve before someone else’s life is taken. Are you with us?   Have you experienced outrageously bad outback roads? Let us know by emailing [email protected] or messaging us through the Facebook page.  Always consider car towing if you’re not confident in towing your van!