Funding committed to drive road safety initiatives for tourists

The Hodgman Liberal Government wants to enhance Tasmania’s reputation as a safe, desirable destination for holiday-makers by encouraging safe motoring.

That’s why we have committed $50,000 to deliver road safety initiatives developed as part of a new evidence-based strategy aimed specifically at international and interstate tourists.

The Government has a vision of growing the number of visitors to Tasmania to 1.5 million a year by 2020 to create jobs in our tourism and hospitality industries, and we want to keep those visitors safe.

The Road Safety Advisory Council has developed a strategy that is informed by its Investigation of Tourist Drivers and Motorcycle Riders in Tasmania and Road Safety Interventions report.

This found that international and interstate tourists were involved in 131, or about 10 per cent, of the 1249 serious casualty crashes on Tasmanian roads between 2010 and 2014.

Interestingly, and importantly, it also found that tourist crash statistics and the factors involved were different than those for local motorists.

For example, only three per cent of those serious injury crashes involved alcohol as a factor, compared to 18 per cent of serious injury crashes involving all motorists.

The Road Safety Advisory Council will look at a range of initiatives including developing materials for distribution with hire car companies and targeted awareness campaigns that focus on Tasmanian-specific factors, such as road features, signage and animals on the road.

The Government is committed to the Towards Zero vision of zero deaths and serious injuries on our roads, and that means working to improve the safety of all road user groups, including interstate and international visitors.

The Tourists Road Safety Strategy can be viewed online at www.rsac.tas.gov.au/road-safety/tourists/
Rene Hidding, Minister for Infrastructure