Though National Road Safety Week, which celebrated its tenth year, is already over, Willoughby residents must remain vigilant and remember to be cautious when crossing roads.
The annual National Road Safety Week which runs in the middle of May every year for a total of seven days, came about as a response to the high numbers of deaths brought about by road accidents. Currently, traffic is the biggest killer of Australian children under the age of 15.
In 2019 alone, statistics from the Willoughby City Council revealed that around 150 people were involved in road crashes in the suburb, 22 of which were pedestrians. Each year, over 44,000 people are grievously injured on Australian roads, and 1,200 are outright killed.
“Vulnerable road users including motorcyclists, bike riders and pedestrians represent an increasing proportion of all casualties in Willoughby,” said Willoughby Mayor Gail Giles-Gidney. “We are committed to working in partnership with Transport for NSW, police, other councils and the community to ensure safety for our local residents.”
One of the additions the council implemented to improve pedestrian safety was an all-new footpath extension to help people cross Victoria Avenue near Chatswood Chase, ultimately reducing crossing width and providing pedestrians with safe refuge to see on-coming traffic.
On top of these new additions to the road, the council also hosts regular and free road safety workshops with the help of experienced facilitators for parents, middle-aged adults, and the supervisors of rookie drivers in the middle of training. These workshops provide people with free road safety resources, which are also disseminated to schools within the suburb.
To learn more about National Road Safety week and make the pledge to drive safely and responsibly, visit their website here.