Zero deaths on Australian roads for just one day.
Toowoomba Regional Council (TRC) has teamed up with key strategic road safety partners to promote Fatality Free Friday throughout the Toowoomba Region.
TRC Mayor Paul Antonio said safety is the top priority for Council and we want to take action to keep people safe on our roads.
"This year we renew our pledge to raise awareness of road safety and work toward saving lives on our roads," Mayor Antonio said.
"Fatality Free Friday shares our focus on collective and individual responsibilities for all road users - including pedestrians, cyclists, public transport passengers, motorcyclists and motorists - so we're very proud to be supporting this initiative.
"We lose too many people, especially young people, to road crashes every year and we must do everything we can do to improve this. It starts with every single one of us being aware of others.
"In addition to the heartache that comes from the loss of life that occurs on our roads, each year the Toowoomba Region road network incurs upwards of $73 million in financial and social costs due to traffic crashes.
"While the target is to have a fatality-free Friday, the campaign is more than just a single day.
"Ultimately we are aiming for a longer term community change to ensure that every day is fatality-free across our country," Mayor Antonio said.
"Council is pleased to join forces with the Department of Transport and Main Roads, the Queensland Police Service, Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, Queensland Ambulance Service, Grand Central, PCYC Queensland and Rotary Youth Driver Awareness this year to raise awareness of road safety through the Fatality Free Friday campaign."
To ensure the road safety message is reinforced all year-round, Deputy Mayor and Infrastructure Services Committee Chair Cr Carol Taylor publicly launched the new Toowoomba Regional Council Road Safety Strategy 2019 - 2023 in conjunction with Fatality Free Friday.
Cr Taylor said the updated road safety strategy builds on the work of the previous strategic plan as our region continues to grow, so does the demand on our road network. The strategy outlines our commitment to a vision of zero road deaths and serious injuries within our Region.
"Council's 2011-2015 road safety strategic plan saw an overall reduction of 13 percent of 'all injury crashes' across Council's road network with 12 blackspot projects completed with the support of the Federal Government," Cr Taylor said.
"The 2019-2023 strategy will serve as an action plan that helps Council together with key stakeholders and the community to actively participate in road safety across the region.
"The updated strategy aligns with National and State Road Safety Strategies and aims to reduce the number of all injury crashes by 12.5 percent, reduce the number of fatalities by 30 percent and reduce the number of hospitalisations by 30 percent over the five-year life of the Strategy.
"Some of the actions of the new strategy include developing safer transport networks by prioritising infrastructure upgrades on heavy vehicle routes and focussing on pedestrian safety through community education and better management of high pedestrian activity areas.
"The strategy also has a focus on active transport which will benefit from Council's support of cycle safety and training and awareness programs and risk mitigation on the cycle path networks.
"With a network of more than 6,700 kilometres of sealed and unsealed roads, Council has recognised the need to embrace a more strategic approach towards road safety across the Region.
"We have come a long way over the past few years but there is still so much more we could all be doing to reduce the number of fatalities on our roads."
While driving on the roads today, and every day, Cr Taylor is encouraging our community to try and stamp out risky road behaviour.
"New Australian Road Safety Foundation research reveals that 'road trauma is the number one killer of children aged 14 and under, and the second highest killer of young people aged under 24'. It also reveals that 'more than half of Australian parents admit to breaking road laws or undertaking risky behaviour'," Cr Taylor said.
"Road safety is a shared responsibility, it is up to each and every one of us to drive safely when we get behind the wheel."
