The Tasmanian government reckons interstate and overseas visitors need help driving on the island’s roads with research showing higher than average crash statistics for tourists.
The state’s Road Safety Advisory Council found visitors were involved in about 10 per cent of the 1249 serious casualty crashes on Tasmanian roads between 2010 and 2014.
“The report found that tourist crash statistics were different than those for local motorists,” Infrastructure Minister Rene Hidding said.
“For international tourists, inexperience, distraction and inattention were listed as crash factors, while for interstate tourists the common causes also included excessive speed for the conditions and animals on the road.”
On Wednesday he announced plans for a safety strategy to be in place by the end of 2015.
The campaign will aim to raise awareness of risk factors through the use of billboards and tourist information.
“The (government) has also secured editorial space in a popular Chinese tourism magazine to promote safe driving in Tasmania,” Mr Hidding said.
