LIGHTING UP LANDMARKS FOR LIVES LOST

The Sydney Harbour Bridge, Goulburn’s Big Merino and Tamworth’s Golden Guitar are among the landmarks being lit yellow tonight, to mark the start of National Road Safety Week.

 Minister for Transport and Roads Andrew Constance and Minister for Regional Transport and Roads Paul Toole are launching the week at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney tonight. 

Mr Constance said despite a reduction in the NSW road toll this year, 105 loved ones are still tragically missing from the family dinner table due to a crash.

 “This week is an important time for everyone to think about how their choices behind the wheel impact others, and how they’d feel if they lost a loved one in a crash on our roads,” Mr Constance said.

“It’s not just deaths that are tragic on our roads, there were almost 10,000 serious injuries last year from crashes on NSW roads, many with lifelong consequences.”

The landmarks turning yellow include, Bankwest stadium at Parramatta, parts of the Westconnex motorway, the Memorial Clock in Mudgee and the War Memorial in Parkes.

 Mr Toole said the lighting of big regional landmarks serves as a visual reminder of the huge impact road crashes has on country communities.

“In the bush, tragically it’s not uncommon for the first people on the scene of an accident to know those injured or killed and for the ripple effect of that accident to spread right through the community,” Mr Toole said.

“This year’s National Road Safety week theme ‘Lead the Way: drive so others survive’ recognises that road safety is a shared responsibility and we all need to make safer decisions on our roads.

“When you’re behind the wheel it’s your responsibility to stay under the speed limit, plan ahead and avoid driving tired, put down your phone and make sure you have a Plan B to get home safely if you’re drinking because the decisions you make can have fatal consequences.” 

National Road Safety Week runs from 16 May until 23 May and is coordinated by Safer Australian Roads and Highways (SARAH), an organisation launched by Peter Frazer following the tragic loss of his daughter Sarah in a crash in February 2012.

For more on National Road Safety Week head to https://roadsafetyweek.com.au