Victoria Police have issued an urgent warning to motorists after a horror start to the year which saw a significant rise in road trauma in regional areas.
According to Victoria Police, there have been 37 deaths in the first 37 days of 2025 – a considerable increase over the 28 deaths in the same time last year, and much higher than the five-year average of 27 for the same period.
January alone recorded 36 deaths, the highest number for the month since the 44 recorded in 2001. Of the 38 fatalities, 23 occurred on regional roads compared to the 13 last year.
Road policing assistant commissioner, Glenn Weir, says Victoria Police aren’t taking the statistics lightly.
“Police are appalled at the terrible loss of life in January – the increase in regional fatalities is of particular concern to us,” Mr Weir said in a media release.
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“Early indications suggest driver behaviour and driver error is largely contributing to these fatalities. Many people are quick to blame road conditions and other factors, but the simple fact is many of the deaths are occurring close to where people live on roads known to them, complacency is a real issue.”
Regional areas which have seen the most significant increase in road trauma include Western Victoria, with 14 lives lost so far this year.
Those include five in areas such as Macarthur, Woolsthorpe, Coleraine and two at Princetown, and five at She Oaks, Avoca, Pitfield and two at Wendouree.
Nine lives have so far been lost in Eastern Victoria, including five in the state’s northeast areas of Creightons Creek, Goughs Bay, Clonbinane, Bowmans Forest and Bethanga, and four in the state’s east at Ripplebrook, Jacob Creek, Mount Eccles and Cobbannah.
Additionally, police say 23 of the 37 fatal collisions occurred within 20km of the deceased’s road user’s residence. Of those 23 people, 11 lived in regional areas, while the remaining 12 lived in metropolitan and suburban locations.
Police have also raised concerns over a significant rise in motorcycle fatalities, with 10 rider deaths so far this year – seven of which occurred on regional roads.
Driving behaviour and errors have been attributed to the worrying start to 2025, based on police analysis. These include “excessive or inappropriate speed, unsafe overtaking, illegal u-turns, failing to stop or give way, fatigue and distraction”.
Interestingly, police say “road conditions are not contributing to the significant rise in road trauma this year”, with authorities urging motorists to take care to avoid a repeat of January’s road trauma statistics.
“We know a visible police presence deters poor or careless driving, and while we will make every effort to be highly visible and enforcing across the state, we can’t just enforce our way out of this,” assistant commissioner Weir said.
“All road users need to realise this is a problem that requires immediate attention, due care and commitment – it’s up to all of us to be more alert and prioritise safety when getting behind the wheel.
“Now is not the time to be complacent – if we can’t turnaround this rising road trauma trend, then we can expect to see this spike continue into the remainder of 2025.”
To encourage road safety, police will be highly visible across Victoria with a major focus on high-risk regional areas and motorcyclist safety.
A statewide road policing operation will also commence in early March to coincide with the state’s Labour Day long weekend.
For more information, visit the Road Safety page on the Victoria Police website.
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