Road users are being urged to make road safety their new year’s resolution after 384 people were killed on NSW roads in 2016, an increase over 2015.
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“The increase in the road toll is a tragedy. After achieving the lowest road toll on record in 2014 at 307, we have now seen increases for two years in a row,” Centre for Road Safety executive director Bernard Carlon said.
“The increases have been the highest in the country regions with significant increases in fatigue-related crashes and excessive speeding.”
“No loss of life is acceptable and we are investing heavily in road safety programs to drive the road toll towards zero,” Mr Carlon said.
He said “there is more work to do” even though the road-related deaths have decreased since 1978: from more than 1300 to about 800 in 1990 to finally about 600 in 2000.
“We know we can continue to strive for zero fatalities because road deaths are decreasing over time. We need the help of every single road user to take personal responsibility and make safe choices on and around our roads,” he said.
Mr Carlon urges all road users to make the new year’s resolution of being committed to “making responsible decisions every time you get behind the wheel so you and the people you love get back home safely.”
Some simple road safety–resolution suggestions:
- I won’t let my mate drive if he has a drink.
- I will always make sure all my passengers have their seatbelts on before I start the car.
- I will switch off my mobile before I drive.
- I will take regular rest breaks on long drives.
- When I set cruise control it will always be under the speed limit.
- I will download the Speed Advisor app and use it to stay under the limit.
Although there was a marked increase in the road toll in 2016, it is the seventh lowest total since 1944. The fatality rate based on population is the fourth lowest since records began in 1908.
The 2016–17 holiday season included high-visibility police on the road, as well as double demerits for those breaching road laws. The next double demerits period will apply from January 25–29 for the Australia-Day long weekend.
The 2016 road toll is preliminary at this stage and may change as a result of police investigations or coroner’s findings. The final road toll will be able to be confirmed later in the year.