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Nearly 50 young leaders from Clontarf Aboriginal College have taken part in a presentation from the Road Safety Commission, learning about risks and responsibilities on the road as they embark on the journey of getting their licenses.

The students come from all over Western Australia including areas of the Kimberley in the far north of the state.

The young leaders were shown educational videos recently developed by the Road Safety Commission and Department of Transport, outlining the risks of not wearing your seatbelt, using mobile phones and speeding.
They were also provided sobering information and statistics relating to the number of young people killed and injured on WA roads.

Despite making up just a small fraction of drivers, people aged 17 to 19 are overrepresented in fatalities on our roads, making up roughly 10 percent of all people killed.

Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner said the opportunity to present to the student leaders was a unique and valuable experience.

“Young drivers are some of the most vulnerable on our roads, so it’s fantastic to have the opportunity to speak to these students about the risks they face, and the responsibility that now rests on their shoulders to be responsible road users,” Commissioner Adrian Warner said.

“These young men are leaders in their communities and amongst their peer groups, and I am confident the information they’ve received will allow them to be role models to other young people when it comes to road safety.

Double demerit points will apply across the Labour Day long weekend, from Friday 26 February 2021 to Monday 1 March 2021 inclusive.

During holiday periods and long weekends, the WA Police force apply double demerits to all of the following offences:

• Drink or drug driving
• Failing to wear a seatbelt and child restraint
• Running a red light
• Illegal use of a mobile phone while driving
• Speeding
• Driving a motor vehicle fitted with a device designed to evade detection by a speed camera (14 points during double demerits period)
• Drive a motor vehicle in a manner to evade detection by a speed camera (14 points during double demerits period)

Monetary penalties that accompany the above offences are not doubled during double demerit points periods.

The new rules mean anyone who provides a positive roadside test to an illicit substance or refuses to take a roadside drug test can be immediately suspended from driving for 24 hours.

Breaching the 24 hour prohibition notice will result in a $600 infringement.

Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner said the new rules were a common-sense approach to make our roads safer.

“By automatically taking drug drivers off the road for 24 hours, we are removing an immediate risk that may exist for other road users,” Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner said.

“Police have always had the power to take someone off the road if they considered that person to be a risk to other drivers, but this new legislation takes a tougher stance and works to the assumption that if you have drugs in your system, you are a risk to the community and will be taken off the road immediately.

“While the new rules will provide an immediate safety benefit by taking potentially dangerous drivers off the road, I am confident the tougher stance will also have a deterrent effect by making more drivers think twice before they consume an illicit substance and get behind the wheel.”

The 24-hour driving ban is a measure to enhance road safety and will not replace existing drug driving penalties.

After a slight delay, thousands of WA students head back to the classroom this week, and road users are being reminded about the need to slow down around schools.

WA Police Force officers are now patrolling to ensure drivers are doing the right thing with 40km/h school zone speed limits back in force across the entire state.

On January 28, Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner joined Road Safety Minister Michelle Roberts and Police Commissioner Chris Dawson at the Constable Care Foundation to deliver an important reminder to children and parents.

“Going back to school is an exciting time for lots of students but this can lead to risky lapses in concentration, particularly around roads,” Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner said.

“Its important parents take the time to have a road safety conversation with their children.”

Parents are reminded to:

• Refresh your child’s memory on how to cross the road safely.
• Advise your child on how to look out for moving vehicles.
• Ensure your children use the appropriate protective gear if they are riding or scooting to school.

“School drop off and pick up is a very busy time and drivers cautious and vigilant on local roads and in school zones, particularly during the busy drop off and pick-up times.

“And a reminder - let’s be patient and courteous to each other – it’s more important to save a life than save time.”

The Road Safety Commission has launched a new campaign urging drivers to be extra vigilant when reversing in and out of driveways when young children are around.

The campaign entitled ‘If you don’t know, don’t go’, coveys the danger of unsupervised children in driveways
Originally developed by KidSafe SA, the campaign has been released in conjunction with KidSafe WA.

“Tragically across Australia, one child every week is run over by a car in a driveway,” said Adrian Warner, Road Safety Commissioner.

“We need to make drivers aware of that tragic statistic, over this very busy summer holiday period.”

National data also reveals that the children who are involved in these accidents are often of toddler age, with the cars usually driven by family and friends.

“Children of toddler age are naturally inquisitive – they move fast and can be hard to see behind a vehicle,’ said Mr Warner.

“In our own driveways, where we are very familiar, we just get in the car without even thinking about it but this is the time to be extra careful.

“The message is clear – if you don’t know, don’t go,” he said.

Ahead of a busy festive season on WA roads, Minister for Police and Road Safety, Michelle Roberts along with the Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner yesterday launched a new campaign, reminding drivers that a momentary lapse in concentration behind the wheel can change your life forever.

Ahead of a busy festive season on WA roads, Minister for Police and Road Safety, Michelle Roberts along with the Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner yesterday launched a new campaign, reminding drivers that a momentary lapse in concentration behind the wheel can change your life forever.

The campaign, entitled ‘The Life Toll’, features the stories of Ben Carter and Paul Freeman who both sustained life-altering injuries due to making a simple mistake on the road.

“The stories from Ben and Paul in the Life Toll campaign are real and they are brave,” said Minister Roberts.
"I hope it might make people pause for a moment and be that little more patient, tolerant and courteous to other road users.”

Ben, who was injured in 2008, was on his way to work when a momentary lapse in concentration saw his car collide and go underneath a semi-trailer truck. He sustained a number of serious injuries including an aquired brain injury and permanent vision impairment.

“The toll that the crash has had on my life is not something you ever want to go through,” said Ben
Paul, who was in injured in 1991, was also on his way to work when he swerved to miss a cat and drove his car into lamp post. Paul was a shift worker and was driving fatigued. He sustained a number of severe head and facial injuries.

“The younger you are the longer you have to live with it” said Paul.

“I wouldn’t wish the toll the crash has had on my life on anyone else.”

The launch of the campaign was held in conjunction with the official kick-off WA Police’s double demerit point traffic blitz, with the Minister reminding drivers that extra police will be out in force this holiday period.

“There will be a strong enforcement presence on our roads during this holiday season,” said Minister Roberts.
“We will have targeted police operations to get those people who are speeding, who are drink or drug driving or who are doing the wrong thing.

“Double demerit points act as a reminder for all road users to do the right thing – its double demerits not double the fines because this is about road safety,” she said.

Double demerits are in force from Friday 18 December 2020 to Sunday 3 January 2021 inclusive.
The Life Toll campaign featuring the stories of Ben and Paul will run throughout the Christmas and New Year period.

The Road Safety Commission will continue the campaign with a number of new stories throughout 2021.
Further information on The Life Toll campaign can be found on the Road Safety Commission website.

The Road Safety Commission encourages prospective car buyers to consider safety first, with the release of the latest Used Car Safety Ratings Guide (UCSR).

The annual guide provides the latest star rating information for a range of used vehicles, determined through a statistical analysis of real-world crash data undertaken by the Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC), on behalf of members of the Vehicle Safety Research Group including the Road Safety Commission.

The research evaluates data from more than eight million vehicles involved in police-reported crashes across Australia and New Zealand, with ratings between one-star to five-stars assigned, identifying the makes and models that provide better protection for drivers based on a vehicle’s size, weight, design and safety features.

Key Highlights

• 362 vehicle models were rated, with 50 allocated a 5-star rating with 25 of these awarded a ‘safer pick’ status.
• A large number of the ‘safer pick’ vehicles and 5-star rated vehicles more broadly are available second hand for under $15,000 and many for under $10,000.
• There are a further 48 vehicles in the good (4-star) category meaning that there is a wide range of vehicles with excellent or good safety performance available for purchase in the market at a range of prices.

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program, commonly referred to as ANCAP, has launched a national community awareness campaign that shows how new vehicle safety technologies such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and lane support systems (LSS) can potentially stop serious crashes occurring.

The campaign entitled ‘Let’s Re-Write the Ending’ utilises real-life dashcam footage of two common crash scenarios – run-off-road crashes and near-misses with pedestrians.

It shows how these types of crashes and the lives of the vehicle occupants and pedestrians can be saved by driving a vehicle that will automatically brake or avoid departing lanes.

ANCAP Director Communications and Advocacy, Rhianne Robson said these types of common mistakes and moments of inattention can be avoided with the help of these new technologies.

“The message is simple. Mistakes do happen, but today’s collision avoidance technologies can help turn a negative into a positive,” she said.
“The dashcam footage clearly demonstrates that everyday mistakes happen to everyday people, yet a mistake on the road – whether it be yours or someone else’s – does not have to be fatal.”

Road Safety Commission statistics reveal that run-off-road crashes involving one motor vehicle or motorcycle accounted for 71 per cent of fatalities in 2019.
In 2019, 16 pedestrians died on WA roads, with 56 per cent of these fatalities occurring in regional areas.

The campaign is supported by the Road Safety Commission and is currently airing across a number of WA TV stations.

Safety first on the new Cape Leveque Road.

The Road Safety Commission has created a new road safety campaign to coincide with the opening of the newly sealed Cape Leveque Road upgrade.

The sealed 90-kilometre stretch of the Dampier Peninsula road is now open to allow local residents and tourists safer and greater access to the area.

To prepare local communities and future tourists, the Road Safety Commission and Dampier Peninsula Working Group have developed several resources as part of a community awareness campaign.

Local Kimberley organisation, Goolarri Media, was engaged to develop series of videos to educate the community and visitors alike on how to stay safe while travelling on the new road.

The first video that features respected local elder Brian Lee will be seen on Goolarri TV, GWN and across local social media channels, while the following four videos will be shared on social media.

These videos cover a range of safety topics including responsible driving, seatbelts and restraints, and vehicle roadworthiness.

Brian Lee, along with other respected local community members Phillip (Bibbido) McCarthy, Albert Wiggan and Helen Ockerby also feature in the series.

In addition to local community ads, a special ‘Z’ card, entitled ‘Your Guide to a Safe Drive’ has also been created - providing information to tourists about driving to the specific conditions of the road.

The pocket-size brochure will be available at all main tourist locations including Broome and Kununurra airports, as well as local visitors’ centres and car hire depots. A QR code to download the ‘Z’ card will also be accessible on the visitor Information board at the entrance to the Broome-Cape Leveque Road.

To prepare local communities and future tourists, the Road Safety Commission and Dampier Peninsula Working Group have developed several resources as part of a community awareness campaign

The Road Safety Commission is urging all students heading down south for leavers this weekend to make their journey a safe one.

Thousands of students are set to arrive in the South-West this weekend as traditional school leavers celebrations begin in Busselton, Dunsborough and other surrounding towns.

Students are encouraged to plan ahead and make sure their vehicle is appropriately maintained before setting off on their journey. This includes checking oil and coolant levels, tyre tread and pressure, wipers and washer fluid, and ensuring you have an adequate amount of fuel.

Drivers are reminded that they must be well rested and hydrated before getting behind the wheel and take regular breaks along the way where possible.

If driving with others, make your passengers the designated DJ’s and navigational aids. Phones should be placed away from distraction or given to a mate.

If driving alone and using your phone as a navigational aid – remember it must be secured in an appropriate mounting device and set before leaving on your journey.

When heading back from your leavers celebrations – remember you can still blow over in the morning.

Further information on safe vehicles and safe driving can be found on the Road Safety Commission website.

Leavers are also encouraged to check out the 2020 RAC Leavers Pitstop on Forrest Hwy to break up their return journey and fight fatigue.