South West drivers are being urged to ditch the distractions and take extra care behind the wheel this holiday season.
Crash statistics revealed 21 people were killed on WA roads during the holiday period from mid-December 2017 to the end of January 2018, with 14 of these fatalities occurring on regional roads.
RAC corporate affairs general manager Will Golsby said there had been too much devastation on WA roads this year, reinforcing the need for motorists to put safety at the top of their to-do list.
“The impact of road trauma has a ripple effect on the community and tragically 151 lives have been lost on Western Australian roads this year, with many more serious injuries,” he said.
“Driver inattention, be it deliberate or unintended, is becoming one of the leading causes of deaths and serious injuries, so we urge all Western Australians to be vigilant, look up and keep mobile phones out of arms reach whilst driving.
“Christmas is a popular time for holidays in regional WA, an area where the road fatality rate is five times higher than Perth metropolitan, so we remind drivers to plan their journey and take adequate breaks to fight fatigue.”
Last year, RAC also received 4,430 collision claims for the month of December alone, nearly all of which could have been prevented.
“Our advice to motorists is to be patient, considerate and safe. Drive at a speed suitable for the road conditions and do not travel above the speed limit, avoid distraction, wear your seatbelt, plan ahead to ensure enough rest stops, and nominate a skipper if you’re planning to have a drink,” Mr Golsby said.
“The best gift Western Australians can give their friends and family this Christmas is ensuring they take extra care on the roads.”
South West Police have also warned they will be out in force during the festive season.
The Christmas/New Year Double Demerits period will come into effect on Friday, December 21 until Sunday, January 6.
Bunbury Police Officer in Charge Senior Sergeant Mal Jones said they would be focusing on “major pressure points” such as road policing.
“There will be a heavy police presence on the roads in the South West, particularly during the school holiday period,” he said.
“We will be targeting poor driver behaviour, drivers who are substance affected, speeding, distractions including mobile phones, and fatigue.”
The warnings come as a new project in the South West was launched to remind drivers of the reasons they should make every journey a safe one.
The Industry Road Safety Alliance South West is producing 10,000 keyrings that connect the action of turning the key in the ignition with the driver’s loved one.
Drivers can insert a photograph of their most precious friends and family into the acrylic framed key rings that also has a road safety message imprinted.
Key rings are being distributed through the Alliance members’ workforces and communities for a limited time.
Alliance chairperson Micheal Hay said the keyrings were a tangible object that helped connect the importance of family with driving safely.
“It’s the little impulsive actions such as poor merging or glancing momentarily at your phone that can lead to big tragedies on our roads,” he said.
“If we think about our loved ones every time we turn the key, it gets really easy to make those decisions to slow down, wear our seat belt, or find another way home if we have been drinking or are fatigued.”
Alliance project manager Sarah Stanley said she hoped the keyrings would also spur conversations with family and friends.
“We often put our keys down in front of others on a bar table or kitchen bench while we are having a conversation,” she said.
“So, we’re hoping that putting the photos of people’s families on display alongside the road safety message will help spread that message throughout the community.”
For more information, visit industryroadsafety.com.au.
