The NRMA has today welcomed the NSW Government’s decision to adopt a number of its recommendations to tackle fatigue, driving distracted and drink driving as part of its Road Safety Plan.
The Government’s plan to invest $125 million in road safety measures on country roads includes tactile line-markings to alert fatigued drivers – a measure called for in the NRMA’s recently released Dead Tired report.
The NSW Government’s Road Safety Plan includes amending legislation to allow camera technology to be used to enforce mobile phone offences, which aligns with the NRMA’s call to crack down on illegal mobile phone use in its driver distraction paper Can't Talk. Driving.
The decision to expand the NRMA’s 2012 proposed alcohol interlock policy that focused on repeat offenders to include all mid-range drink driving offences will help address community concerns around the dangers of driving drunk.
NRMA Spokesperson Peter Khoury said the NRMA welcomed the Plan as a way of reducing the horrific road toll of 2017.
“It is positive that both sides of politics have recognised that enforcement paired with community education is the key to saving lives,”
“The NRMA is pleased to see the NSW Government embracing technology in road safety, however there is additional untapped potential for technology solutions that make our vehicles safer, make our roads more forgiving and encourage drivers to change or regulate their driving behaviour,” Mr Khoury said.
“Nearly half of the NRMA’s Members live in regional areas, and the NRMA has been calling for specific road safety interventions for regional NSW.
“It is unacceptable that country motorists are four times more likely to die in a road crash than drivers in metro NSW, and safety works such as tactile line markings to address driver fatigue are a welcome addition to this package
“Our Members tell us that feeling unsafe on NSW roads is a significant issue for them, and the NRMA will be an unrelenting advocate for road safety until we see a significant reduction in the road toll.”
The NRMA is calling on the NSW Government to adopt a process of review and consultation to ensure these and other measures deliver genuine safety benefits to the community. The NRMA is committed to taking part in this review process.
This includes a review of changes to enforcing drink driving laws.
