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A new National Road Safety Strategy which aims to slash Australia's annual road toll was launched by the Australian Transport Council in Launceston on 17 November 2000. "The extent of the carnage on our roads has been reduced over recent years. But tragedy continues to strike too many families and our television screens continue to bring scenes of devastation and death into our homes all too frequently," the chairman of the Australian Transport Council, John Anderson, said. "Tackling this problem is an on-going task for the ATC and other government and private organisations. It is a fight that can never be totally won, but there are many things we can do. "The ATC has developed the strategy that we are launching today with the aim of reducing the number of road fatalities per 100,000 population by 40 per cent by 2010." Mr Anderson, Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Transport and Regional Services, said this was an ambitious, but achievable target. It is aimed at reducing the rate of fatalities from 9.3 per 100,000 in 1999 to no more than 5.6 in 2010. This strategy aims to reduce the number of road fatalities per 100,000 population by 40 per cent by 2010. He launched The National Road Safety Strategy 2001 - 2010 and the supporting National Road Safety Action Plan 2001 and 2002 at the Summerdale Primary School. More than 700 children, and state and territory Ministers that make up the council, offered a graphic representation of the numbers of lives that will be saved each year. "Under the plan more than 700 lives will be saved each year by 2010," Mr Anderson said. "Achieving this target will require the efforts of all parties involved in road safety, which includes road users, the media, police, health care providers, schools, local government, vehicle builders and employers. In particular it will require leadership by the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments. "Together there are a number of things we can do, for example, continue the existing road safety initiatives that have reduced fatalities from 30.4 per 100,000 population in 1970 to 9.3 in 1999. "We can focus on the objectives identified in the strategy and carry out the activities described in the action plan. States can also adopt other initiatives that address their local issues." The actions in the plan continue the proven measures of: reducing the incidence of drink driving; improving compliance with speed limits; and increasing the use of seatbelts and other restraints. It also increases the focus on other measures such as: matching of speed limits to conditions; increasing measures to reduce the incidence and risk of driving while fatigued; and encouraging the adoption of emerging intelligent transport systems, such as in-vehicle systems that automatically notify emergency services in a serious crash.
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Last Updated: 15 November, 2006. |
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