Road Safety Week

This week our post topic is “Road Safety Week”, a week on awareness. Ironically, here at move fwds we are helping you become aware of your body every week, to combat trauma, depression, anxiety, or whatever situation is keeping you stuck. For the last while we have focused on different car parts or road signs, to help build your awareness. Oh, how road safety awareness and self-awareness go hand in hand here at Move Fwds!

Road Safety Week Snapshot

Many road safety weeks take place at different times each year. In this post, you’ll get a list of the weeks relevant to your area. Why Road Safety Week is important, and what you can do about it.

Who, What, and Why Road Safety?

You might ask, why is Road Safety Week so important? Glad you asked! There’s a group, in fact many. But a specific business in Australia is called: National Road Safety Week. The founder, Peter Frazer put this group together after the death of his daughter Sarah, who unfortunately died in an unavoidable crash with a truck, on a New South Wales Highway. Peter has since put his background forward with National Road Safety Week. He is a current board member of the International Road Victims Partnership and a previous member of the Advisory Board for FEVR’s World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victim. With his extensive knowledge in this field, he helped governments in Australia and abroad consider the importance and awareness of Road Safety Weeks.

What Happens During Road Safety Week?

On the Road Safety Week webpage, you can follow the daily reminders from the 5^th of May until the 12^th of May. Each day, there’s a different note.

• 5^th = Remember the 1200
• 6^th = Make a road safety pledge (via the website)
• 7^th = Road safety for the next generation
• 8^th = Protect those who protect and assist us
• 9^th = How safe is my ride?
• 10^th = Drive in the moment, avoid distraction
• 11^th = Share the street
• 12^th = Take care on regional roads

Subscribe to National Road Safety Week or check out the merch they sell here. (By the way, we are not being sponsored or in any way paid commission with this post.)

Road Safety Week in Australia

Having missed a few earlier Road Safety Weeks in Australia, we can jump on board with Queensland, the sunshine state. They will start this week starting on the 26^th through to the 31st. Who promote their cause with the Queensland Police to make the decisions behind the wheel count. With the theme for 2024 titled: “One Team.”

Other states raise Road Safety Awareness Weeks on these dates:

• The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) promotes Road Safety Week, from the 16^th to the 22^nd of May, with the initiative on Vision Zero. An attempt to see no injuries or deaths on ACT roads. They also light up areas with the awareness colour for change, yellow.
• For Victoria, the key dates are the 16^th to the 23^rd of May. Who further promote Road Safety Week in Melbourne by lighting many of their iconic buildings with yellow, much like ACT.
• The Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania (RACT) promotes Road Safety Week from the 5^th until the 12^th of May.
• In South Australia Road Safety Week dates are from the 5^th to the 12^th of May. Relying on the awareness campaign of: THINK! Road Safety.
• Perth’s, Road Safety Week is from the 5^th until the 12^th of May, with RAC promoting the cause. RAC has continued for the past 115 years advocating change on the Western Australian roads.
• In the Northern Territory, Road Safety Week is from the 15^th to the 23^rd of May and is promoted through the state government campaign, Drive Safe NT.
• Lastly, New South Wales also promotes the National Safety Week on the same dates: 5^th unti 12^th May. Yet has an additional Road Rules Awareness Week on the dates: 19^th until 25^th August.

Road Safety Week International

Run by the World Health Organization (WHO) they promote an international level of Road Safety Week on the dates 15^th until 23^rd May. With their key initiative program called: #Rethink Mobility.

Road traffic injuries are a leading cause of death and disability worldwide, with around 1.3 million people killed and as many as 50 million people injured each year. For people aged 5-29 years, there is no greater threat to their lives. Globally, 1 of every 4 deaths occur among pedestrians and cyclists.

World Health Organization, 2024

Read more about the WHO’s global action plan here. With their ambitious aim for a 50% reduction in road crashes and injuries by 2030!

Check your Local or State Government for more information on when your area holds road safety awareness week! And see what you can do towards this cause!

Road Safety Awareness and Me

So, what does Road Safety Awareness have to do with me, you might ask? We all have a part to play. Whether we drive a vehicle for business, or leisure, as a parent or grandparent, as a teen or child, or have someone else drive us in an uber or bus or ferry. Using the road means having a greater understanding of the grand network connecting all our lives.

The human body is a great example. Throughout school, you have learnt about your body, what to fuel it with (as we spoke about in our last post), how to indicate your needs and communicate clearly, understand the importance of when it is safe to go and when it isn’t. Just as we’ve covered these topics in the Move Fwds navigate series. Building personal awareness of your own body means you know how to care for and respect other people’s bodies.

When you commute yourself around it means you learned the rules and you’re doing your part to keep safe. When you drive safe and your friend drives safe, and your family drives safe it is simple math. 1 + 1 + 1… and the numbers keep adding. We all want to be safe, and we all have a part to play in Road Safety Week.

To do so safely we all need to move fwds, appropriately!