Promoting safer vehicles in Victoria: recent developments

Since the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) established that fatalities across Europe would halve if every motorist upgraded to the safest vehicle in its class, the Victorian road safety partners have considered enhanced vehicle safety to be of significant importance in the State's road safety strategy. This has been reflected in the Victorian Government's Vehicle Safety Strategy and Associated Action Plan 2004-2007. Some of the key objectives established under this strategy, include: 1. Informing the community about why vehicle safety matters; 2. Building organisational and consumer demand for safer vehicles by effectively marketing the benefits; and 3. Gaining commitments from fleet operators to improve the level of safety provided in vehicles for employees. This paper outlines the Government's current vehicle safety strategy with a specific focus on current and future initiatives. These include evaluation of key technologies, research and development, and communication programs. Annual monitoring of Victorian motorist attitudes shows that safety has moved from the fifth to second most important feature when purchasing a vehicle. Importantly, using an evidence based approach, the impacts on road trauma of the strategy and its associated actions are discussed.