Victoria Police continues to monitor trends and emerging issues impacting our roads such as vehicles used for work.
Over the past few years, we have seen an increase in the number and type of vehicles utilised for a range of food and package delivery, freight, and ridesharing services.
Issues such as vehicle safety standards and fatigue management may lead to an increased risk of collision.
Victoria Police is committed to working with industry partners to ensure the highest safety standards apply to all involved in the commercial use of Victoria’s roads.
We also continue to work closely with vehicle manufacturers and our road safety partners to understand the risks and benefits of vehicles with an increasing level of autonomous capability.
As vehicle technology advances, the on road interaction between older and newer vehicles with these capabilities will increase and we will need to understand how this may impact road safety.
We will monitor links between the use of mapping applications and serious injury and fatal collisions, particularly on high risk rural roads.
Mapping applications may direct a road user who is unfamiliar with local roads or their condition onto a road that appears to be the most direct route, regardless of its condition or lack of any safety infrastructure.
We will engage with our industry partners and developers of mapping applications to consider collaboration on an appropriate solution.
We will monitor societal trends that contribute to road trauma such as the prevalence of illicit and prescription drugs.
Our partnership with the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine (VIFM) will be critical to this and will influence potential legislative reform and other initiatives to address impaired driving.
Updated