Victoria road fatalities jump to 258 after horror crashes in Piries, Goornong

A fatal car crash in regional Victoria over the weekend that killed four work colleagues has brought the state’s death toll a horrifying 15-year high.

Police were called to the burnt-out car in a paddock at Piries in the state’s northeast after it’s believed the vehicle spun into a tree and burst into flames.

Tragically, only hours later police were called to the Midland Highway at Goornong after two people died when their car crashed into a truck and a ute.

The twin crashes not only brought the weekend death toll to six but raised the already shocking 15-year high in deaths on Victoria roads to 258.

That figure is the highest since 2008 when 261 people died on the state’s roads and represents a more than 20 per cent increase year to date.

Only 241 people were killed in road crashes in 2022, slightly up from the five-year average of 237. Of those, 36 died between November-December.

The rolling total for this time last year sat at 211 and dipped as low as 178 in 2018. During the 2020-21 pandemic, that number stayed between 184-194.

Road Policing Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir described the grim milestone as “truly tragic”.

“With two months to go in the year, it is incredibly concerning that we find ourselves in this position. This should be a wake-up call to everyone,” he said.

A further 13 people were killed during the Melbourne Cup long weekend, including five people who died when a care ploughed into a beer garden in Daylesford.

Data from the Transport Accident Commission reveals that most of the people killed until November 9 were men, with 170 killed compared with 75 women.

Most of those people killed were the driver (114), while 48 people were passengers and 39 pedestrians. A further eight people were on a bicycle.

Shockingly, a significant number of added deaths this year occurred on regional roads. In 2023, 147 people have been killed in rural Victoria, up 26 per cent.

The number of children killed aged up to four also rocketed up, with three children killed on the road in 2023 compared with just one in 2022.

The number of young adults – 21-29 years – killed on the road also grew by between 20-28 per cent, while those aged over 70 who died also grew by 33 per cent.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrGWcp51jrrZ7056aoaafobyoxY6mpq2nop67qHvOp2StoJViv7Ctw2itopukpL%2BqrYyrppqcXZuuta3LoquinaNit7a5z2arqGViaoVurcWtnKtlmKS%2Fs7vRZq6enZuau6V7zZ6urGWjqbyzxY5qamlrlZaucrGUbmtwmpKXr6Oul3FpnW1garJ5fZiamQ%3D%3D