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Victoria's top traffic cop wants booze buses made smaller to aim at more inner-city streets as our road toll eclipses last year's, ending an eight-year downward trend.
Police predict 10 more lives will be lost on our roads before the end of the year.
Assistant Commissioner Bob Hill's Christmas wish list includes reviewing speeds on 'B-class roads", increasing roadside drug testing, ramping up and modernising the booze bus fleet to make it easier and quicker to deploy and reconfiguring it for smaller locations.
In a bid to curb serious accidents, crash sites across the state where a serious injury occurs will be analysed, including whether speed limits need to be cut, trees removed or new signage required.
The road toll is 240 so far this year. Four children under four years old have died, including a child aged two, the youngest to die on our roads in 2014. The toll is 20 more than the same time last year.
November has been the worst month on our roads in 2014 with 29 people dead. The TAC last week launched its Be Present campaign, urging Victorians to take care on the roads and to promise their loved ones they would be present during Christmas.
Drugs have emerged as a key road killer. Police data shows 39 drivers with drugs in their system died in crashes last year - 15 more than those who died with alcohol.
It is unacceptable because we know we can do better
In 2013, Victoria recorded its lowest road toll - 243 dead - a fall of 13.85 per cent on the year before.
Mr Hill said the road toll this year included two tragedies where four people died in each crash and three crashes that claimed three lives each.
He said police believed it was always going to be a challenge to achieve another reduction given the record low number last year.
"The fact it has increased this year is certainly disappointing but it only motivates me more to work even harder with our road-safety partners and the community next year to once again deliver a record low road toll and reduce road trauma," Mr Hill said.
"We are not going to sit on our hands and do nothing.
"This is a time for celebration when we spend Christmas with family and friends and it's not a time for arranging a funeral and certainly not arranging funerals for young children or visiting loved ones in hospital." Starting from the new year, police, VicRoads, councils and road-safety groups will attend crash sites together to conduct an audit.
Ballarat, Dandenong, Fawkner and Gippsland are the first areas to be audited and it is expected the program will be rolled out across the state.
Mr Hill said given the increase in drug-related fatal crashes, the expansion of the roadside drug-testing program would be evaluated to see what more could be done.
"We need to determine whether or not 100,000 tests per annum would deliver that general deterrence we are looking for given we do four million alcohol tests," he said.
Mr Hill said police were proposing an overhaul of the booze bus fleet. "While we'll maintain a certain number of the large booze buses, we will look to modify the fleet and seek a smaller configuration with smaller buses, more agile and easier to deploy across the state," he said.
TAC chief executive Janet Dore said the road toll was unacceptable. "Our vision is zero deaths and serious injuries so it is unacceptable that more people have been killed and injured on our roads than last year," she said.
"It is unacceptable because we know we can do better."
TRAGIC TOLL
Victorian road deaths November 1 to December 9, 2014
NOV 1, 6.30AM Pascoe Vale Rd, Moonee Ponds Woman pedestrian, 85, hit by car. Motorist on culpable and dangerous driving and other charges.
NOV 8, 12.20PM Calder Hwy, Ravenswood Woman collided with concrete truck. Girl and male passenger and truck driver admitted to hospital.
NOV 8, 12.30PM Chanters Lane, Fern Hill Man's car hit tree.
NOV 10, 3.15PM Howards Rd, Wattle Flat Man, 20, lost control of car and hit tree.
NOV 11, 12AM Great Ocean Rd, Fairhaven Woman, 25, lost control and hit tree.
NOV 11, 6PM Melbourne Rd, Rye Man, 75, on mobility scooter in bike lane hit by turning car.
NOV 11, 1.30AM Rosedale-Longford Rd, Rosedale Woman, 25, in car that hit tree. Man, 39, admitted to hospital.
NOV 12, 2.30AM Hammond Rd, Dandenong South Male passenger in car that collided with car on bypass. Drivers treated for minor injuries.
NOV 12, 11.15AM Mt Buller Rd, Mansfield Cyclist, 70, hit by car.
NOV 17, 8.20AM Monash Fwy, Toorak Male motorcyclist clipped rear of car, hit from behind by truck.
NOV 17, 1PM Mornington Peninsula Fwy, Dromana Two people in car that ran off road and hit tree, bursting into flames, after contact with another car. Other driver charged with culpable driving.
NOV 25, 2PM Nepean Hwy, Mt Martha Man, 91, in crash. Two others treated in hospital.
NOV 25, 6.30PM Maroondah Hwy, Kanumbra Woman in 60s lost control, veered across road, hit culvert, slammed into tree.
NOV 25, 9.10PM Hume Fwy, Springhurst Male passenger in car that lost control, collided with truck, crashed into trees. Female driver treated in hospital; truck driver unhurt.
NOV 27, 11.50PM Church Rd, Hazelwood North Male cyclist collided with ute at intersection.
NOV 28, 2AM Billson Rd, Wonthaggi Man lost control of car, which rolled. Passenger taken to hospital.
NOV 28, 5.10PM Princes Hwy and Lochiel St, Orbost Two in car that crashed into loaded cattle truck.
NOV 28, 5.20PM Murray Valley Hwy, Rutherglen Woman's car collided with grain truck.
NOV 29, 8.40AM Toorak Rd, Toorak Motorcyclist collided with rear of turning truck and hit by car.
NOV 29, 3PM Coolart and Hunts roads, Tuerong Woman in two-car crash; three hurt.
NOV 30, 1AM Mount Duneed Rd, Mt Moriac Driver and passenger in car that rolled, caught fire.
NOV 30, 4.30PM High St, Prahran Girl, 4, hit by car while crossing with parents at Williams Rd.
DEC 3, 2AM Stud Rd, Dandenong Male rider crashed into car turning into McFees Rd.
DEC 3, 11AM Mansfield-Whitfield Rd, Barwite Cyclist clipped wheel of bike in front, fell, run over by car.
DEC 5, 6.20AM Epping-Kilmore Rd, Woodstock Man lost control of car, hit pole.
DEC 7, 6.30PM Barry Rd, Campbellfield Woman lost control of car, hit tree.
DEC 8, 10.55AM Blackgate Rd, Connewarre Man in 60s lost control of van, which left road and rolled.
FATAL ACCIDENTS PER MONTH
January 25
February 21
March 25
April 14
May 23
June 17
July 22
August 21
September 20
October 18
November 29
December 5
Source: TAC
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