Minister Papalia kicked off the seven days of road safety events and activities across the country alongside founder of National Road Safety week and President of Safer Australian Roads and Highways (SARAH) Group Peter Frazer, OAM.
Now in its 10th year, National Road Safety Week raises awareness of the impacts of road crashes on our community and promotes the importance of safe road use.
As host State for 2023, Western Australia has a full calendar of activities planned around the State, commencing with a thought-provoking event in Perth's Forrest Place that encouraged community members to make a road safety pledge.
More than 40 iconic WA buildings and landmarks including Government House, Optus Stadium and the Matagarup Bridge will be illuminated in yellow in remembrance of the 1,200 lives lost and more than 40,000 people seriously injured on Australia's roads each year.
The Busselton Cultural Precinct will be splashed yellow for a range of free road safety activities throughout the week. A further 22 free road safety events will be held from Roebourne in the north to Denmark in the south. Community members are encouraged to get involved in the events, funded by over $90,000 in grants from the Road Safety Commission and the RAC.
Over 800 Year 10 to 12 students will attend the 'Road Safety Starts with Me' Youth Summit at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on Tuesday 16 May. The full-day Summit will include keynote presentations from people with lived experience of road trauma as well as interactive activities and breakout sessions dedicated to improving road safety behaviours among young adults.
The Summit has been tailored and taken on the road to regional WA. Successful events have recently been held in Albany, Geraldton and Narembeen, with a final Summit planned for Bunbury later this month.
Minister Papalia and Federal Assistant Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Carol Brown will co-host the first National Road Safety Ministers' Meeting in Perth on Friday 19 May. The meeting will provide an important opportunity for collaboration and information-sharing across jurisdictions to improve safety on our roads and decrease serious injuries and fatalities.
More information about how to get involved in National Road Safety Week in WA is available on the Road Safety Commission website.
Pictured: Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner, RAC Group CEO Rob Slocombe, Road Safety Council Chair Katie Hodson-Thomas, Minister for Road Safety the Hon. Paul Papalia
