A warning has been issued to drivers in New South Wales, Australia, to take care over summer following the news that 330 people have lost their lives on the state’s roads this year – seven higher than last year.
To demonstrate the scale of the loss, 330 people gathered at Bankwest Stadium. Minister for Police and Emergency Services David Elliott said seeing 330 people gathered in one spot demonstrated the importance of making safe decisions on the roads.
“In NSW so far this year 217 people have died in regional areas. The really sobering fact is around 70 percent of fatalities on country roads are country residents,” he said. “It’s not visitors from out of town, it’s people who live in the area, who know the roads well and who often aren’t far from home when the worst thing happens.”
Minister for Roads Andrew Constance also highlighted the huge number of people who have suffered serious injuries in crashes; almost 11,000 people in 12 months.
“We want everyone to stop and think – think about how their behaviour on the roads impacts others, think about how they would feel if they lost a loved one and think about what they can do to help stop these deaths and injuries on our roads,” he said. “We will do everything we can as a government by building safer roads and using technology to help keep people from harm. But at the end of the day we really need everyone to take personal responsibility.”
