ARARAT and its surrounds have largely been excluded from an RACV survey looking at the most dangerous regional roads across the state.
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More than 4000 respondents took part in the My Country Road survey, which asked members to identify the most dangerous roads across Victoria.
In the Western region, Gisborne/ Bacchus Marsh Road in the Moorabool Shire, Bacchus Marsh Road in Balliang East, the Midland Highway and the Calder Highway/ Seventeen Street in Mildura were voted the most dangerous.
The Western Highway, and others in the vicinity of Ararat were not found on the list.
Between January 1, 2016 and December 30, 2020, there were more than 18 crashes on the Western Highway between Golf Links Road and Gilchrist Road resulting injury, including two fatalities.
For the same period on the Western Highway between Saleyards Road and Cameron Road there were 25 crashes, with including three fatalities.
The Princes Highway from Stratford to Bairnsdale in the East Gippsland area received the most responses in the state, followed by The Deans Marsh-Lorne Road in Benwerrin, Surf Coast and the Warburton Highway at Woori Yallock in the Yarra Ranges.
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RACV's motoring and mobility executive general manager Phil Turnbull said Victorians believed driver behaviour was the biggest contributing factor to safety on Victorian roads.
Mr Turnbull said a number of possible solutions suggested by respondents would be taken to the state government.
"Sixty-one per cent of respondents believe the speed limit on the selected roads should be reduced until improvements or upgrades have been made, highlighting that many Victorians believe reducing the speed on certain regional roads to address safety concerns is an appropriate approach," Mr Turnbull said.
Survey participants provided their feedback by clicking on one of the 169 highlighted roads or dropping a pin and filling out a survey for another location.
Mr Turnbull said the survey results were a timely reminder that road safety was everyone's responsibility and planning trips with a few simple safety tips in mind will mean it's still safe to enjoy everything regional Victoria has to offer.
"All road users must drive in a safe manner, whether it's driving at safe speeds, avoiding distractions or taking a break if we are fatigued," Mr Turnbull said.
Top issues respondents identified as contributing to how safe the roads are:
- 46% - Dangerous behaviours of other drivers (e.g. Speeding, erratic driving)
- 46% - Pot holes / road condition
- 44% - Narrow lanes/road
- 41% - Limited overtaking opportunities
- 36% - Intersection safety issues
State-wide top voted solutions:
- 43% - Improve road surface
- 42% - Wider shoulders (edges of road)
- 31% - Wider lanes
- 30% - Intersection safety improvements
- 24% - Bicycle safety improvements
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