The Australian Road Safety Federation has extended an initiative it hopes will reverse the statistics and start to see a decline in the number of deaths and injuries.

Wimmera residents are being urged to help make streets safer by applying Life Saving stickers to their yellow and red wheelie bins. The large stickers, which feature life-size images of children stepping towards the road and speed limit signs, are designed to provide a strong visual road safety reminder to motorists. 

The images are based on research, which found that signs that depicted motion, resulted in faster reaction times and increased vigilance among would-be drivers, which could ultimately lead to faster stopping times. Use of the stickers in other Australian states has seen more than 5000 distributed and applied to wheelie bins throughout the country.

So powerful is the campaign, some councils are buying them in bulk to make available to residents. The federation now wants more residents in Victoria to get on board.

Between January and May this year, 67 pedestrians were killed on Australian roads. 

If trends continue the number could reach or even exceed last year’s number of 165. Drivers need to be sent a reminder that is visual and available to them when they are on the road.

The Life Saving sticker campaign provides a real-time reminder to motorists to reduce their speed. If someone is exceeding the speed limit, we hope these stickers will prompt them to immediately slow down. 

Even small changes in vehicle speed can have a dramatic impact on stopping distances. Of the 67 pedestrians killed so far this year, seven were under 16 years of age.

We also know that the statistics show fatalities are higher on week days when over 82 per cent of this year’s fatalities have been recorded. Victoria has recorded the second highest pedestrian fatality rate so far in 2016 accounting for more than 25 per cent of deaths. Residents interested in purchasing a sticker for their bin can contact the federation hotline on 1300 723 843 or email info@australianroadsafetyfoundation.com to arrange to purchase stickers.

RUSSELL WHITE 

Australian Road Safety Federation