With more than 90 deaths on NSW’s roads already recorded this year, the recently announced NSW Road Safety program could not come at a better time for drivers in the state.
In addition, last year there were 354 fatal road crashes, according to Transport NSW, a 28 per cent increase since 2021, when there were just 275 fatalities.
In a statement, The Australian and NSW Governments announced a $540 million investment to improve safety and reduce crashes on NSW roads.
“The Program seeks to improve road safety by minimising the occurrence of severe injuries and fatalities, with a focus on vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists. It targets both urban areas and rural high-speed roads, aiming to reduce off-road and head-on collisions”, the statement said.
Education on road safety has always been prominent in the community with more advertisements, campaigns and legal deterrents than ever before.
Ambulance NSW paramedic, James Stortenbeker is adamant that the government needs to drastically reduce the contributing factors.
“There are many different factors that influence patient outcomes in road accidents, unfortunately, despite campaigns and education around negative behaviours on the road,” he said.
“Drivers make the conscious decision to take risks that result in complications on the road.”
There have been calls for a reward system with handing back of demerit points for good driving, although this has sparked debates across communities.
“All drivers need to understand that their actions can have extreme consequences,” Stortenbeker said. “I believe a rewards system for safe drivers would be beneficial in enticing people to take care on the roads.”
As well as death, individuals can be faced with life changing injuries when they are involved in a road accident. In 2023, there were 10,021 serious injuries recorded, climbing from 9641 injuries in 2022, according to Transport NSW.
“I have witnessed “minor” motor vehicle accidents that have caused significant life changing injuries to patients and some tragic circumstances have had fatal outcomes, any vehicle collision at that speed can change someone’s life,” Mr Stortenbeker said.