Media release – Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS), 12 May 2023
ROAD SAFETY IS EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY
National Road Safety Week will be acknowledged across Tasmania from the 14th to 21st May by the Australasian College of Road Safety (ACRS), showing support for those affected by road trauma, while acknowledging the work everyone needs to do achieve zero fatal and serious injuries.
“Road Safety is everyone’s responsibility!” says Mrs Jenny Branch-Allen, Chair of the Tasmanian Chapter of the ACRS.
National Road Safety Week will be held to remind us of the impact of road trauma, and how, by working together, we can do things that can help save lives and prevent serious injuries on our roads.
We ask you to take the pledge to drive so others survive, by visiting https://roadsafetyweek.com.au/
The pledge asks all road users to commit to removing distractions such as mobile phone use while driving, to not speed, or drive while tired, or under the influence of drugs or alcohol to safeguard friends, family, and everyone we might encounter on our roads.
By slowing down and giving vulnerable road users – such as pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and all roadside workers, including emergency personal – space, we can provide better safety outcomes for all.
The pledge is also for our leaders in government as well as road safety professionals, practitioners, engineers, and designers who are integral in funding, researching, and creating a safe environment for all road users.
“With so many innocent lives being cut short or irreparably changed by crashes on our roads it has never been more important for each of us to do what we can” said Mrs Branch-Allen.
“Keep an eye out for the many buildings and landmarks around Tasmania which will be lit in yellow to support Road Safety Week. The yellow lighting can remind us of our responsibilities, while allowing us to remember those who have lost their lives and been seriously injured on our roads.”
For more information about Road Safety Week please visit the Road Safety Week website at https://roadsafetyweek.com.au/ or the Road Safety Advisory Council’s website at https://www.rsac.tas.gov.au/campaign/national-road-safety-week-2023/.
Media release – Kidsafe Tasmania, 11 May 2023
ROAD SAFETY WEEK 2023 – Keep your child safe on the road!
Kidsafe Tasmania’s Road Safety Manager Peter Gillon says it is up to adults to keep small children safe in cars and around roads.
Road Safety week reminds us that as adults we must make sure that children are in an appropriate child restraint when travelling in a vehicle. Small children must be supervised when out and about near roads and traffic, said Kidsafe Tasmania’s road safety manager Peter Gillon.
He described how we should be talking to our children about being safe near roads and traffic. When we are walking around holding their hands, we can have positive conversations about road safety, demonstrate crossing roads safely and what traffic signs mean. Remember roads are designed with adults in mind and children are not ‘little adults’. Children’s brains are still developing so they may not have a full understanding of the dangers around them to make safe decisions.
Make sure your child is in the correct child restraint when travelling in a vehicle. By law a child must be in a properly fitting and fitted child restraint until 7 years of age. Child restraints must be checked regularly to ensure correct fitting.
We encourage everyone to visit https://roadsafetyweek.com.au/ to take the pledge to ‘drive so others survive’, he said. Children are our most vulnerable road users, and it is up to us to protect them.
