It could be your brother, your mother, your best friend, or us, says Police Acting Superintendent Amelia Steel, Acting National Manager for Road Policing.
“If that’s not reason enough to drive safely, I don’t know what is,” says Acting Superintendent Steel.
“There have already been 23 lives lost on the road this month. As people head away for the holidays we want them to remember that safety comes first at all times. The people around you on the road are people’s loved ones, possibly your own.
“Driving a car or riding a motorbike can be life threatening if you’re not being responsible. So we want people to stay focused when they’re behind the wheel or on their bike.
“Everyone has a lot on their minds this time of year so it can be easy to be distracted. But if you’re driving a vehicle you need to give that task your full attention.
“It’s doing the basics that will keep you safe this summer; watch your speed and your following distances, stay focused – put your phone out of reach – wear your seatbelt, and always driver sober and alert.
“Our Police will have a strong and visible presence on the roads this summer because we want everybody to get safely to their loved ones and their holiday destinations. We also need every road user to play their part.
“We can’t be on every road at all times or sit in the car beside you to remind you to pay attention, slow down, or take a break.
“We will have a series of radio ads playing over the holiday to remind people of the serious consequences of inattention, speed, drunk driving, and not wearing your seatbelt.
“We have also released a social media video to confront people about the reality of what emergency responders face in a crash and what those people have to do to try to save them. We want people to stop and think about the potential consequences and to not take any chances.
“Please make sure you treat everyone on the roads around you like you would your loved ones; with respect and patience. Let’s all enjoy a safe holiday season.”
ENDS
Notes to media
Speed threshold:
- Police focus is on ensuring people are driving safely and to the conditions. Speed limits are there for a reason and we expect them to be adhered to, and for people drive to the conditions – this may mean driving below the limit in bad or wet weather or high traffic situations.
- Over the holiday period – from 4pm Friday 20 December to 6am Monday 13 January – if you're detected by a safe speed camera exceeding the area’s posted speed limit by more than 4km/h, you will be ticketed.
- Our officers will still have discretion in how they deal with incidents and how they are enforced. Their focus will be on preventing harm on our roads.
Statistics:
- Being properly restrained reduces your chance of death or serious injury in a crash by 60 percent in the front seat and 44 percent in the back seat.
- Alcohol and/or drugs are a factor in about 20 percent of all fatal crashes.
- Even when speed doesn’t cause the crash, it is the single biggest determinant in whether anyone is killed, injured, or walks away unharmed. A small change in speed makes a big difference to injury severity in a crash.
- Speeding and travelling too fast for the conditions is a contributing factor in around one third of all fatal crashes and 15 percent of all injury crashes.
Issued by Police Media Centre
