22/12/2011
Please note, Double Demerits will apply in WA from:
Midnight leading into Friday, December 23 until midnight Sunday, January 8th 2012
The Road Safety Council supports Double Demerits which is now in place and is asking all Western Australian road users to be aware of their driving behaviour to reduce the risk of being killed or seriously injured.
“An Office of Road Safety evaluation on behalf of the Council estimates that when double demerits are in operation there is about a 9 per cent reduction in crashes where people are killed or seriously injured,” Independent Chair of the Road Safety Council, Professor D’Arcy Holman said.
“With Christmas just around the corner no family should be facing the loss of a loved one through road trauma.
“With a little care and attention from all drivers, death and serious injury on our roads is entirely preventable.”
Those caught drink or drug driving, speeding, failing to wear a seat belt or carrying passengers in the open load space of a vehicle will incur double demerit points from now until midnight Sunday 8 January 2012.
“The current level of death and serious injury on WA roads is viewed by the Road Safety Council as unacceptable
“A heightened attention on road safety means that all drivers should be embracing a shared responsibility for their safety and the safety of others at all times,” Professor Holman said.
Western Australia’s road safety strategy, Towards Zero, envisages a road transport system in which crashes resulting in death or serious injury are virtually eliminated and has the potential to save 11,000 people by 2020 if fully implemented.
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Media Contact:
Elizabeth Jones, Office of Road Safety 0417 939 743/ elizabeth.jones@mainroads.wa.gov.au