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An initiative to address the problem of safety on our roads is the Local Government Road Safety Officer Program. The program aims to increase the involvement of Local Government and local communities in strategies to improve the safety of people on roads. The program relates to behavioural issues with a focus on improving road safety within the local community. The aim is to raise awareness of key issues, which contribute to local road crashes, and to develop and implement highly localised projects to address these issues. The Road Safety Officer works closely with traffic engineers, Police, the RTA and the local community to address road safety issues in the Wagga Wagga, Coolamon and Junee local government areas. Road safety is an ongoing concern with crashes continuing to occur on our roads. The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) report that during 2010, there were 42,299 recorded road crashes in New South Wales. Of these, 19,336 were casualty crashes. There were 405 people killed and 24,623 injured. The number of people killed was down by 48 (11%) on the previous year and was the second lowest annual fatality total since 1944. The estimated cost to the community of these road crashes was around $5,100 million. Also during 2010 the number of persons killed in road crashes in New South Wales per 100,000 population, was 5.6. This is the second lowest since records were first compiled in 1908. Country roads accounted for 34% of all crashes in 2010, but 68% of fatal crashes. Current Road Safety Projects - 2011-2012 Speeding within the Coolamon, Junee and Wagga Wagga Local Government Areas This project aims to reduce the incidence of speeding in identified areas of speed within the three LGAs. Police will conduct enforcement campaigns which will be supported by advertising. Objectives: - To reduce the incidence of speeding in the identified roads by at least 10%.
Don't be Naughty, Just do 40 This project aims to reduce the number of speeding offences, mobile phone use and parking offences in school zones throughout the Coolamon, Junee and Wagga Wagga Local Government Areas. Objectives: - To increase the level of speed compliance in school zones.
- To reduce the number of motorists using hand held mobile phones in school zones.
- To reduce the number of motorists illegally parking in school zones.
Intersection Safety
This project aims to investigate intersections where multiple crashes occur to identify crash causal factors, and conduct observation studies at such intersections. Objectives: - Reduce the number of crashes at identified intersections.
- Investigate counter measures to address identified issues.
DID YOU KNOW?No Parking Zones A ‘NO PARKING’ zone can be used to drop off or pick up people and goods. As long as the driver is no more than three metres from the nearest point of the vehicle at any time and does so within two minutes. Example: A parent drives a child to school, parks in a NO PARKING zone, gets out of vehicle and opens passenger door to let child out and directs them to the school gate – remember you are not permitted to be any more than 3 metres from the vehicle – then back to the vehicle and drive off within 2 minutes. Speed Limits If there is a speed limit sign on a length of road, that is the speed limit applying to that length of road. If a speed limit sign does not apply to a length of road and the length of road is not in a speed limited area, school zone or shared zone, the speed limit applying to a driver for the length of road is the default speed limit. The "default speed limit" applying to a driver for a length of road in a built-up area is 50 kilometres per hour. - A built-up area briefly in relation to a length of road is where there are:
- buildings, not over 100 metres apart, on land next to the road or
- street lights not over 100 metres apart.
Simply, if you are driving in an urban area, ie the townships of Wagga Wagga, Coolamon, Junee, etc, the speed limit is 50 kilometres per hour unless there is a sign stating another speed, eg 60 kph, 80 kph. Something to be aware of!! If you are driving on a road that has an 80 kph speed limit, and you turn into another road, unless the road you turned into has a speed limit sign, that road is the default urban speed limit (50 kph). Links Roads and Traffic Authority
www.rta.nsw.gov.au
Driver Reviver Sites Motor Accidents Authority
www.maa.nsw.gov.au |
