Community Road Safety in South Australia

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Community Road Safetyin South Australia

• Presenter Mercedes Haralam

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• To date there are
• twenty-three
• community road safety groups
• in South Australia.

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Growth of Community Road Safety Groups

• Originally there were six (6) community road
  safety groups prior to 1999.
• In 1999 four(4) new groups were formed.
• In 2000 five (5) groups formed
• In 2001 nine (9) groups were formed
• In 2002 one group has formed so far.

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• Nearly all of the community road safety groups
  are based in rural South Australia and represent
  approximately 300 volunteers.

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How do community road safety groups start?
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A group approaches Transport SA after they have
started their own road safety group.
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Or Transport SA contacts councils and asks them
to consider starting up a community road safety
group in their area.
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Councils are requested to -support the concept
of community road safety-provide a liaison with
the group -and provide some administrative
support for the group
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Process for forming new groups
A public meeting is held to gauge if there is
enough interest . At this meeting the issues are
fully explored and all queries answered. The
importance of utilising education strategies at
the local level is emphasised - as well as the
need to set realistic goals. If there is enough
interest a group is formed, and a date set for
the next meeting.
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The next step is to form a committee with office
bearers and incorporation. Once under way the
groups set about identifying priorities and
activities.
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Who takes part in a community road safety group?
Anyone who cares and believes that they can make
a difference to the road toll. Stakeholders
include Council Education Emergency
Services Transport SA Health Sector SA
Police
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• Beliefs shared by participants in community road
  safety groups
• they own the issues and want to do something for
  their community
• they take affirmative action to reduce the road
  trauma in their area
• they challenge current beliefs and attitudes

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How the groups achieve their goals
They inform themselves and seek advice. They
evaluate ideas and make decisions - they
prioritise. They seek funding from various
sources. They analyse who will gain the most from
an awareness campaign - the target group- and
who can best get the road safety message across
to them. They get community feedback. They plan,
implement and evaluate what happened. They learn
and share their learning. They create
partnerships.
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Examples of activities that community road safety
groups do

• They tackle community education
• submit articles, advertisements, letters to local
  newspapers, school newsletters, community
  boards.
• give interviews to radio and television stations
  about local road safety issues
• provide public displays
• organise public presentations
• talk to the target groups at their venues

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Examples of activities that community road safety
groups do

• prepare pamphlets and other handouts such as
  stickers
• organise strategic plans to inform their projects
• contribute to knowledge about local black spots
• provide information and training sessions
• provide free buses for special festivities
• run Driver Reviver programs
• support the teaching of road safety in local
  schools

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Examples of activities that community road safety
groups do

• support programs such as Lights On
• support higher levels of police enforcement
• support Designated Driver programs
• organise mock crash displays
• support SAPOL in presentations to sports clubs
  and schools
• address road safety issues for motorcyclists,
  cyclists, pedestrians, gopher riders, school bus
  safety

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Whyalla and District Community Road Safety Group

• Large town with hidden poverty
• concern by Police over lack of helmet wearing -
  evidence in number of warnings issued
• This campaign used a local celebrity - Olympic
  rider and torch bearer in posters
• School input in design of the helmet sign
• Media articles, radio and TV announcements

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Bike Safety Campaign

• Surveys conducted in schools to check bike routes
  and usage
• Police presented safety lessons developed by
  Transport SA and in conjunction with local Bike
  Safety School
• Helmets were donated to winners determined by the
  schools - needy kids got them

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Bike Safety Campaign

• Bike signs for inside school gates were developed
  by Council and designed by school kids

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Bike Safety Campaign

• Lions Club instigated marking of bikes and
  helmets and bike maintenance sessions
• Evaluation includes monitoring number of future
  warnings for bike wearing infringements
• Bike Safety School bookings have filled up for
  the year following this campaign

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Roadside crash markers

• an initiative pioneered by a community road
  safety group
• symbolic of their commitment to improving road
  safety
• raise curiosity about why the crash occurred

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• An initiative of the Wattle Range Road Safety
  Committee in January 1994.

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Advance Information Sign

• Transport SA now uses these signs to alert
  drivers as to the meaning of the roadside crash
  markers.
• They are placed at the beginnings of Council
  districts
• They indicate the name of the community group
  responsible for the markers

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An idea conceived by the local high school and
supported by the road safety group.
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In closing..
Community road safety groups are clear about what
can be done and accept realistic goals. They
create inspired solutions to influence a change
in thinking and behaviour on our roads.
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Community road safety groups are willing to
tackle the hard issues that seemingly have no
solutions. People need to show that they are
road safety conscious on the road - not at the
meeting room.