TAC Road Safety Round 2024

Show up for your team, Slow down on the road.

This weekend the VAFA and its clubs will show their support of TAC Road Safety Round, in partnership with AFL Victoria. The campaign aims to reduce road fatalities and increase awareness about safe driving habits is in its sixth year in 2024. The focus of this year’s campaign is reducing speed on the roads and arriving safely at Community football with the tag line “Show up for your team, slow down on the road”. A key feature of the TAC campaign is the Blue “Band together” armbands that VAFA clubs will wear during all games this round, with clubs also increasing the awareness of the campaign through social media and within clubrooms.

“This round has developed into a genuine passion for clubs to not only honour everyone killed on Victoria’s roads, but to create a culture in their communities that values road safety. Improving road safety in Victoria is a joint effort and, while we’ll continue with our education campaigns and investment in life-saving infrastructure, we need everyone to play their role” – Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne

In 2024, 155 people have been tragically killed on Victorian roads, with 72 deaths on metropolitan roads and 83 on regional roads. Some notable trends in 2024 include 15 lives already lost in July and 33 since the beginning of winter, with pedestrian fatalities in 2024 increasing by 10 and motorbike rider lives lost increasing by 18.

“This year, football and netball clubs are encouraged to focus on the dangers of speeding while driving.  We are really urging clubs to have conversations about the dangers of speeding and to avoid speeding, even if it means arriving at training or the game a little late. There is no more powerful motivator than saving the life of a friend or loved one, and we are asking everyone to play a role and make a difference..” – TAC CEO, Tracey Slatter

St Kevin’s OB’s Mitch Wallis is the face of the campaign again in 2024, within the TAC Road Safety Round campaign Mitch shares the impact road trauma has had on the father of two and his family, after his mother-in-law Katie passed away after being struck by a vehicle in 2022.  For more stories from VAFA Community members and other Football Community members sharing their stories ahead of TAC Road Safety Round head to https://www.tac.vic.gov.au/road-safety/band-together/band-together

So, this weekend the VAFA urges its Community to play their role and reduce speed while getting to VAFA grounds and “Show up for your team”.