The National Road Safety Week is an annual initiative that campaigns to raise awareness about road safety. This years’ theme is “Drive So Others Survive”. This includes other drivers, pedestrians and even passengers of vehicles.
In Australia alone, approximately 1,200 people are killed and another 44,000 are seriously injured every year with traffic injuries being the second largest killer of young adults aged 15-24.
StreetSmarts QLD released The young drivers’ fatal five data stating some worrying figures including 85% of 17-25 year olds admitting to using their mobile phone illegally, 72% admitting to speeding at least 50% of the time and 44% admit to drink and drug driving occasionally. Of these young drivers, 52 were also killed between 2016 and 2020 for not wearing a seatbelt.
On Tuesday the 16th of May, Road Safety Week’s theme of the day was ‘Road Safety for Young People’. In the morning, the LBM team travelled to the AITC Brisbane campus for morning tea to raise awareness on road safety for the students.
Partnered Morning Tea for Road Safety
LBM joined forces with our valued customer, the Australian Industry Trade College (AITC) for a partnered morning tea for Road Safety Week. The AITC are the leading school of choice for senior school students from grade 10 – 12 who are wanting a work-ready education. Their programs are designed specifically to support employable and practical industry skills with six campuses available around South-East Queensland.
AITC work closely with the LBM team on driver safety for their fleet, and we wanted to help raise awareness for their students, who are the next generation of drivers on our roads, about road safety, both as a driver and a passenger.
Top Tips for Road Safety with LBM Fleet’s Customer Success Manager, Sonya Franklin
Speak Up
For young adults, we recognise it might not be cool to speak up to your friends, family or even boss when you feel unsafe with their driving. It can be difficult to speak up, but your safety is just as important as the drivers’ feelings.
Sonya spoke about the importance of speaking up and provided the students of AITC with some examples and tools on how to speak up in common situations when you feel unsafe.
“Hey, did you hear the new fine was $1,000 for using your phone while driving.”
“I think we’re in a school zone, and it’s not 4pm yet.”
“Did you want to pull over and grab a coffee at the next exit? You look like you pulled an all nighter.”
Every K Over Counts
With every kilometre you speed over the limit increasing your risk of having a serious incident, Sonya highlighted some key points as to why this is so important.
- Casual Speeding – Around half of all serious speeding crashes happen at less than 10km/hour over the speed limit and just over 5km/hr over in urban areas.
- Road Conditions – Always drive to the conditions of the road including slowing down when it’s wet or on dirt roads.
- Vehicle Condition – Being aware of the age of your vehicle, if it’s been serviced and its condition including brake pads and tyres.
Have a Plan B
We always recommend planning ahead and having a plan B to get you out of trouble. You should never drive tired or under the influence. There is a lot of freedom that comes with first getting your licence, but you don’t always have to drive.
Sonya provided some alternative options for different situations.
- Get a lift – can a parent or friend pick you up if you plan on drinking.
- Public transport – know where the nearest bus or train station is can help you plan ahead to get home safely.
Sonya mentioned, “you never have to put your safety at risk just to be polite.”
Never Drive Distracted
There are many distractions that can happen while driving including notifications from your phone, eating or drinking, your friends are messing around with the music or maybe you had an argument with someone or you just didn’t sleep well, causing you to be inattentive to the road and feel fatigued. You may be a safe driver, but you should never drive distracted, especially at high speeds on the road.
Even driving in an emotional state can increase your crash risk by 10 times.
Always Wear a Seatbelt
Without a seatbelt, you’re almost nine times more likely to lose your life if you’re involved in a crash.
The current penalty in Queensland for not wearing a seatbelt is $1,078 and four demerit points for drivers for every passenger in their vehicle. This includes not wearing the seatbelt correctly or having the right child restraint.
No one plans to have a crash and wearing a seatbelt is a very simple way to mitigate a potentially fatal road accident.
What Safety Means to LBM Fleet
At LBM, road safety is a passion, with one of our core principles focusing on corrective and preventative processes to mitigate the chances of incidents before they occur using our driver safety module.
We believe everyone has a role to play in road safety, whether you’re a driver or a passenger, being self-aware and recognising unsafe driving behaviours is key to preventing road incidents.
Take the Pledge
Take the pledge online today. Pledge to drive as if your loved ones are on the road ahead. Remove all distractions and never put other people at risk by speeding or driving under the influence.
“Pledge to drive so others survive” online here.
