During Rural Road Safety Month, local federal MP Libby Coker is urging road users to exercise more care and focus as they travel.

Ms Coker is concerned that there has been an increase in road related deaths in rural areas, including across her electorate of Corangamite.

Corangamite has already had twice as many road deaths in 2022 compared with the combined totals of the last two years.

“Rural road crashes account for more than 65 percent of the Australian road toll, and the rate of serious road-related injury in rural areas is nearly twice that of those in major cities,” Ms Coker said.

“There have been six road deaths in Corangamite, compared to three at this time last year. This is a tragic outcome for our region. Corangamite accounts for 3.5% of the lives lost in Victoria on roads this year.

“It’s alarming that almost two in three road deaths occur on rural roads of which there are many within Corangamite.

“It is my hope that if we all aim to be more thoughtful in how we travel, we can protect ourselves, our families and those around us in the community.

“Rural Road Safety Month aims to highlight what we can do to make our roads safer for everyone. Last year 730 lives were lost on rural roads nationally,” Ms Coker said.

The focus of Rural Road Safety Month is a campaign by the the Australia Road Safety Foundation on simple ways that people can make a positive difference and help reduce our road toll.

It asks road users to to take the pledge of “I choose road safety” and “Be the change you want to see on the road”.

Combined with initiatives such as Vision Zero, the Australian Government is dedicated to making our roads better and safer for those who use them.