ASB MAGAZINE:Surfing Western Australia announced the continued support of RAC for the #NoTxtNoWrecks campaign aimed at making WA roads safer.New research from the Road Safety Commission shows 80% of WA motorists are using their phone behind the wheel. Last year, 28 people were killed in inattention-related crashes. That’s an unbelievable 112% increase on the previous five-year average.
The partnership with RAC will continue into 2019, encouraging safe driving practices throughout the year, asking drivers to stash their phones away out of sight, to look up and minimise distraction from mobile devices.
RAC Sponsorship Manager, Carina McBurnie, said RAC was thrilled to continue its partnership with Surfing WA to reinforce the seriousness of distracted driving to at-risk road users.
“Driver distraction is one of the leading causes of deaths and serious injuries on our roads, and tragically regional road users continue to be some of the state’s most vulnerable. In 2018, more than 60 per cent of all road deaths occurred in regional WA, despite it being only 20 per cent of the State’s population,” said McBurnie. “By encouraging drivers to ditch the distraction, ‘No Txt No Wrecks’ aims to lower the tragic number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads. Instead of letting our devices control us, we need to look up when we’re driving and focus on what’s most important, the safety of ourselves and those around us. We hope this partnership encourages just that.”
The #NoTxtNoWrecks message is particularly relevant to the Surfing WA community as supporters, members and staff alike spend countless hours road tripping along the beautiful West Australian Coast each year.
Surfing WA’s Chief Executive Officer Mark Lane said joining with RAC and sharing road safety messages with the Surfing WA network is an important measure in keeping people safe on our roads.
“For our members, supporters, our families in fact anyone that loves surfing – it is really hard to avoid road time. Given the fact that nearly 30% of our road fatalities are made up by those in the younger age bracket — it is critical that we do our bit to remind everyone of the dangers involved when driving distracted,” said Lane. “That is why our message #NoTxtNoWrecks is so important to our network and especially relevant to our young guys and girls who love to surf and travel.”
We need to look up when we’re driving and focus on what’s most important, the safety of ourselves and those around us. This is the ethos behind #NoTxtNoWrecks and we are proud to advocate for all road users.
Surfing WA will continue to spread this important road safety message as far and wide as possible, with promotion and activities across multiple platforms. Keep an eye out for the #NoTxtNoWrecks message both on and off the beach, at Surfing WA events as well as on TV and other advertisements.
For more information on the #NoTxtNoWrecks message click here, or be sure to follow Surfing WA via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and use the hashtag #NoTxtNoWrecks.
ABOUT THE RAC:
For more than 110 years, RAC has been giving back to WA. RAC’s true purpose is to serve their members, who started RAC in order to protect and enhance the WA community where we live work and play. Whether we’re advocating for safer roads, investing in sustainable travel options like the RAC Electric Highway or sponsoring the RAC Rescue helicopters, our vision is to be the most valued organisation to Western Australians by 2020. More info at www.rac.com.au
VIA PRESS RELEASE
