Moree Plains Shire Council is supporting the Australian Road Safety Foundation (ARSF) in an effort to reduce road risk in regional areas as part of Rural Road Safety Month this September.
Rural Road Safety Month, which promotes awareness of the increased risks of travelling on and around our regional roads, such as increased speeds, road conditions, and emergency response and retrieval times. All road users must consider how they can uphold road safety.
Despite regional areas being vastly less populated than urban centres, fatalities on rural and regional roads account for about two-thirds of the road toll every year, with 811 lives lost in 2023.
“Every one of us plays a crucial role in reducing road trauma and ensuring that every journey on a regional, rural or remote road is a safe one,” said Mayor Mark Johnson.
The rate of serious road-related injury in rural areas is also nearly twice as high compared to major cities.
Rural Road Safety Month – an initiative of the Australian Road Safety Foundation (ARSF) – runs throughout September, prompting the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) to issue an urgent reminder to all drivers to take additional care and heed safety warnings.
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