Road Safety Week: Don’t get shattered

Speeding is a factor in almost half the road fatalities in Tasmania and more than a third of serious injuries.

And half of those fatalities and serious injuries are in 100km/h or 110km/h zones, many in rural Tasmania.

Road Safety Advisory Council Chair Jim Cox said today reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries was every road user’s responsibility.

“Ask yourself: what can I do to help make our roads safer? One answer is to drive to the conditions which means going at a speed that’s safe for the weather and road conditions and that may be well below the speed limit.

“The faster a vehicle is going, the less time there is to react to the unexpected. Give yourself that time and slow down.”

“As our ads say “speeding shatters lives. You cannot bring someone back to life and you cannot repair all serious injuries.”

Police Commander Brett Smith said exceeding the speed limit was dangerous and put lives at risk.

He said Police throughout the state would be concentrating their efforts on speeding today, the second day of Road Safety Week.

“Too often Police see the results of going too fast. It is better to arrive a little late rather than not at all.”

Commander Smith said the road rules protected all road users and were designed to keep the roads safe.

“It is up to all road users to be responsible and do what they can to keep our roads safe.”

If you, or someone you know has been affected by road trauma, and would like help, please contact Road Trauma Support Tasmania on 0427 487 251.