South-west motorists shocked by results of road survey

Trav Milton was travelling along the Terang-Framlingham Road near Framlingham recently when he went through a large pothole.

The impact resulted in a flat tyre and a bent rim, but Mr Milton said it could have been a lot worse.

Mr Milton said the stretch of road was in need of repair.

"It's been used a lot more lately because of the roadworks on the highway," he said.

Mr Milton said there was a car behind him, which meant he was unable to brake or swerve to avoid the pothole.

He said he was not interested in being reimbursed for the cost of replacing the tyre, but he is worried someone will have a serious accident.

Mr Milton was one of a number of readers of The Standard who were surprised there were no south-west roads identified as among the state's most dangerous in a survey conducted by the RACV.

"Princes Highway has been shocking for years," Andrew Fowler wrote on The Standard's Facebook page.

"They have got to be joking," wrote Susan McInnes.

"You've got to be kidding - our roads are death traps," wrote Cheryl Heynemann.

More than 4000 Victorians took part in the annual My Country Road Survey, which asked respondents to identify the state's most dangerous roads.

Skenes Creek Road in the Skenes Creek was the closest road that rated a mention in the top 10. The worst roads were in East Gippsland, the Surf Coast, Yarra Ranges, Bass Coast and Greater Geelong.

RACV's motoring and mobility executive general manager Phil Turnbull said Victorians believed driver behaviour was the biggest contributing factor to safety on Victorian roads.

Mr Turnbull said a number of possible solutions suggested by respondents would be taken to the state government. "Sixty-one per cent of respondents believe the speed limit on the selected roads should be reduced until improvements or upgrades have been made, highlighting that many Victorians believe reducing the speed on certain regional roads to address safety concerns is an appropriate approach," Mr Turnbull said.

Survey participants provided their feedback by clicking on one of the 169 highlighted roads or dropping a pin and filling out a survey for another location.

Mr Turnbull said the survey results were a timely reminder. "All road users must drive in a safe manner, whether it's driving at safe speeds, avoiding distractions or taking a break if we are fatigued," he said.

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