VFF president Brett Hosking said the state of regional Victoria’s roads was a major contributing factor to the tragic toll and called on governments to urgently fix the issue.
“The tragic reality is you’re more than three times likely to lose your life when driving on country roads when compared to driving in the city,” Mr Hosking said.
“Rural Victorian roads have sadly claimed 23 lives this year, representing a 156 per cent increase on the same time last year.
“These aren’t just statistics — it’s our friends, family and loved ones.
“Enough is enough. Genuine questions must be asked about what contributing factors are behind the accidents and there’s no doubt the state of country roads is a huge factor.”
Mr Hosking has called on all levels of government to urgently address major funding shortfalls to rectify country roads.
“Over the past year, government spending on resurfacing and resealing roads has dropped by a whopping 81 per cent.
“That only condemns our roads to ruin and sadly that’s now a reality.
“Drivers are expected to maintain roadworthy cars. It’s time for cars to drive car-worthy roads to ensure drivers aren’t playing a daily game of roads roulette.
“With a federal election looming, there’s no better time for our leaders to step up and commit to genuinely fixing this mess.
“We’re calling on all levels of government to urgently address the state of our crumbling regional roads for the sake of our safety.”
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