LETTER TO THE EDITOR – RURAL ROAD SAFETY MONTH

Dear Editor,

September is Rural Road Safety Month.

730 lives were lost on rural roads last year, representing two thirds of all Australian road deaths.

This is 730 people are no longer present around the family dinner table.

We all bear responsibility for driving this horrific statistic down.

Driving to the conditions, taking rest breaks, avoiding distractions, and keeping your vehicles maintained are steps all Australians can take to keep themselves others safe on our nation’s regional roads.

As Assistant Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, I will be working with my Coalition colleagues to ensure that the Federal Labor Government continues the roll out the $120 billion infrastructure investment pipeline we developed while in Government.

This Coalition legacy includes important programs to improve rural road safety including upgrading key regional road corridors through the Roads of Strategic Importance Initiative, safer local roads and bridges through the Local Roads and Community Infrastructure, Roads to Recovery, Black Spot, Heavy Vehicle Safety and Productivity, and Bridges Renewal programs.

The Coalition Government also committed $3 billion for the nationwide Road Safety Program, a critical component of our work to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads and move towards achieving ‘vision zero’ – that is zero deaths or serious injuries on our road network by 2050.

In the meantime, I urge all road users to be the change you want to see on the road. The keys to road safety are in all our hands.

Tony Pasin MP

Member for Barker

Shadow Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport