Tougher road safety campaigns, more effective mental health screening and drug and alcohol prevention programs are needed, according to specialists in the field.   He said the three leading causes of death were interlinked, as many road trauma deaths were caused by mental health problems or substance abuse.  While the death rate for women in road accidents has dropped by about 10% a year since 1997, it has remained stable for men at 10 deaths for every 100,000 Victorian men.  

  Deaths from heart disease, bowel cancer and stroke dropped significantly in both men and women.   Better early detection and screening programs led to breast cancer deaths dropping 3% a year, while diabetes-related mortality fell nearly 5% each year for women.    Lung cancer death rates for women also remained stable, suggesting anti-smoking campaigns may need to be targeted towards young female smokers.

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