Jenny Aitchison MP is calling on Maitland drivers and riders to join her in making a Road Safety Pledge and ensuring no lives are lost on roads this Fatality Free Friday.
“So far this year, we’ve lost 158 people in NSW through road accidents,” Ms Aitchison said. “Of those who have died, 103 were on country roads.”
Ms Aitchison and other NSW parliamentarians have signed a Road Safety Pledge, joining 279,000 road users across Australia in a commitment to help make every day fatality free.
“It is so important that, every time we get behind the wheel, we think hard about the potential consequences of our actions,” Ms Aitchison said. “We all must take responsibility.”
Australian Road Safety Foundation CEO Russell White said that, more often than not, the loss of life on roads was due to a choice - to speed, to use a mobile phone, to drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol, not to wear a seatbelt, or to run a red light.
Ms Aitchison said that there were just 20 fatality-free Fridays in 2018.
“Sadly, the most common contributing factor in these fatal accidents was speed,” Ms Aitchison said.
The Road Safety Pledge requires people to commit to: always being fit to drive; staying focused on the road; scanning the road ahead; keeping to a safe distance; and driving to suit the conditions.
People who would like to take the Fatality Free Friday pledge should visit https://arsf.com.au/fatality-free-friday-2/
