Nearly 1000 people were injured and 17 killed on the west’s roads over the past year.
RoadSafe Westgate’s annual report shows the 17 people died in incidents across Wyndham, Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong and Melton during 2014-15.
A further 280 people suffered serious injuries and 707 had minor injuries.
RoadSafe Westgate, a road safety advocacy group with programs across Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Melton and Wyndham, said while inroads were being made to reduce the road toll, more needed to be done.
Chairman Jim Giddings said Roadsafe Westgate had been proactive in getting the road safety message out via workshops and billboards targeting L-platers, P-platers and senior drivers alike.
“The challenges on road safety issues are still there, but by bringing our local communities on board we will continue to drive changes, including legislative changes,” Mr Giddings said.
Speed, hoon drivers and drink-driving were still seen as the greatest contributors to road accidents.
Despite speed advisory trailers being parked at targeted locations, highway patrol units recorded a rise in drivers caught speeding in every area except Hobsons Bay.
On average, police nab 321 speeding drivers in Melton each month, followed by 140 in Wyndham, 97 in Maribyrnong and 90 in Hobsons Bay.
Hooning remains a big problem in Wyndham with 76 cars impounded in the first six months of this year, compared to 48 in Melton, 39 in Hobsons Bay and 22 in Maribyrnong.
Wyndham also recorded the highest ratio of positive breath tests, with one in every 474 drivers tested returning a positive result.
