Pedestrians are being urged to ‘Stop. Look. Live.’ as Crime Stoppers hits the streets to engage with high-risk pedestrians and educate them on how they can help keep our roads incident-free.
Thirty-six pedestrians have been killed on Victorian roads over the past 12 months, prompting a focus on reducing pedestrian injuries and deaths.
Crime Stoppers Victoria chief executive Stella Smith hopes the campaign will educate vulnerable pedestrians on how they can stay safe.
“Every Victorian deserves to get home safely, and the easiest way to achieve this is to identify risks and follow the road rules,” Ms Smith said.
“No matter whether you are a pedestrian, driver or cyclist on the road, we challenge everyone to stop and think, is this safe?”
According to Victoria Police and TAC data, 70 per cent of all pedestrian deaths in Victoria occur in metropolitan Melbourne.
The campaign aims to educate pedestrians on crossing the road safely in built-up areas, where there is a speed limit of 60km/h.
Crime Stoppers will also visit locations across Melbourne that have the highest number of pedestrian fatalities, focusing particularly on community hubs and primary schools.
The most vulnerable people are children aged four to 12, intoxicated pedestrians aged 30 to 39 and pedestrians aged over 70.
“We all play a role in keeping our roads safe and Crime Stoppers Victoria is offering vulnerable pedestrians the tools they need to use our roads safely,” Ms Smith said.
“We have seen 175 pedestrians killed on our roads over the last five years, and a significant number of those have been in 60km/h zones.”
Victoria Police Road Policing Command Acting Assistant Commissioner Martin O’Brien said police were focused on protecting the most vulnerable road users.
“Too many vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, are being killed or seriously injured and it’s all too preventable,” he said.
“We are grateful to have Crime Stoppers Victoria launching this campaign, along with the many councils, schools and businesses that will support this initiative to improve road safety.
“Everyone has a role to play in keeping our roads safe, and we urge everyone to think not only about their own safety but how their behaviour can impact the safety of others.”