Melbourne International Comedy Festival’s Roadshow is back on the road from 26 April to July, and once again it is teaming up with the Transport Accident Commission to make sure the laughs do not end in a tragedy. As the tour rolls through 25 regional Victorian towns and scores of other stops across Australia, every venue will carry a clear reminder, if you plan to drink, leave the car keys alone and organise another way home.

The message is threaded through the night in ways no one can ignore. Myth-busting drink coasters challenge the old “rules of thumb” about drinking speed, body size, food or water intake. TAC teams on site hand out prizes for busting the myths, while comedians in a series of bite-sized online vox pops poke fun at the misguided maths that still sends people to the driver’s seat after a few drinks. The goal is simple, turn a night out into a teachable moment that sticks.

There is a hard reason behind the humour. Close to one in five drivers and riders killed on Victorian roads are over the limit, and even a blood-alcohol reading of 0.05 doubles crash risk. With limited late-night public transport in many regional towns, the safest bet is to choose a sober driver or skip the drinks altogether. Plan ahead, enjoy the show, and make sure everyone gets home to talk about it the next morning.

Find more from The Transport Accident Commission (Australia, June 2025)