Reducing the speed limit on south-west roads is a band-aid solution that has been slammed by member for South West Coast Roma Britnell.
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Reviewing speed limits is one of the recommendations in the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into the increase in Victoria's road toll.
Ms Britnell said the state government had refused to recognise that poor road surfaces and conditions were a contributing factor in road deaths and instead focus on other factors like speed limits in isolation. She said road safety on rural and regional roads needed to be a holistic approach that took into account every single aspect of the road - including the condition of the surface, not just the speed limit.
"Years of neglect means our country roads are crumbling, yet the Andrews Labor government's answer is to lower the speed limit and say 'job done'," Ms Britnell said.
"It's a lazy option and isn't the way to fix the safety issues on our roads.
"Labor needs to look at the problem as a whole and actually invest in fixing road surfaces to make them safer for motorists, not just stick up a sign and walk away."
Ryan's Transport owner Graham Ryan said wear and tear on his trucks had increased due to the poor state of the region's roads.
He said many of the south-west's roads were in urgent need of repairs and replacement. "I don't think a speed limit will fix the issue we have with our roads," Mr Ryan said. "Our drivers have issues with the roads every day - they're not good, that's for sure."
The report states that speed and road standards must be considered simultaneously.
"Speed is one of the most significant contributing factors to road trauma, with both the severity of a crash, and the likelihood of crashing, increasing as speed increases. Higher speed limits can be maintained by improving infrastructure; where infrastructure cannot not be upgraded, lower speed limits can improve road safety," it says.
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