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WA launches new road safety campaign

WA today launched road safety campaign to highlight the effect crashes have on the community

August 30, 2010

The West Australian Government today launched a road safety campaign to highlight the effect crashes have on families and the community.

The new campaign will use television, radio and print advertising to highlight the emotional, financial and physical costs of serious injuries. It will run until the end of October.

Road Safety Minister Rob Johnson says about 2800 people are seriously injured in vehicle crashes each year on Western Australian roads.

“Road trauma places a huge burden on our community, not to mention the ongoing emotional costs for those injured and their loved ones,” Johnson says.

“Most road users underestimate the number of people seriously injured on our roads and do not have an understanding of the implications of serious injuries, which can leave people with permanent disabilities or brain-damage, changing their lives forever.”

Johnson says there are 14 more people seriously injured for every person that is killed on the state’s roads.

“As a community, we should not accept road injuries as being inevitable. We must realise how our driving actions can have serious impacts on one another and the wider community,” he says.

Of the 2548 people injured last year due to crashes, 1730 people were hospitalised in the metropolitan area; 489 in regional areas and 329 from remote areas of Western Australia. The government estimates the cost of each injury is $425,000.

Johnson has also put the responsibility on motorists by saying they have a role to play in ensuring the road network is safe.

“The dangerous or careless actions of motorists can lead to devastating physical, financial and emotional outcomes for road users, their families and the whole community,” he says.

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