Thursday, 15 August 2019

In reply to  Mrs McARTHUR (Western Victoria) (19 June 2019)

Mr PAKULA (Keysborough—Minister for Jobs, Innovation and Trade, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Minister for Racing):

The Government is committed to ensuring visitors drive with confidence and stay safe on our roads. As there are many factors which influence driver behaviour a holistic approach to international driver safety has been adopted.

As one of a suite of road safety initiatives which benefit both international and local drivers, the Visiting Drivers program is focused on raising international driver awareness of key road safety risks in Victoria and car rental companies are a critical partner in its delivery. As such, the level of car rental company participation is a more appropriate measure of effectiveness of the initiative, rather than crash data.

I am therefore pleased to advise that over 80 per cent of car rental companies operating in Victoria are participating in the initiative, and as a result, a significant number of international drivers are now exposed to relevant and targeted road safety messaging.