Campaign improves safety on the Kings Highway

‘Reduce your speed on the Kings Highway this summer… your family is counting on it.’

It’s the message promoted each year by the Kings Highway Road Safety Partnership, and according to Eurobodalla Council’s road safety officer Kate McDougall, it’s working.

“Although now familiar, the campaign’s provoking slogan and imagery certainly resonate with holiday drivers,” she said.

“It is proving effective in getting the message across to slow down behind the wheel on the Kings Highway. This is supported by statistics, as the number of crashes on the Kings Highway between Canberra and Batemans Bay have almost halved since the Kings Highway Partnership’s inception in 2008.”

The Kings Highway Partnership brings together ACT and NSW Police and local and state government representatives, with the aim to reduce road trauma on one of the region’s busiest holiday routes.

Eurobodalla residents planning to hit the road in December and January can expect to find frequent visible reminders along the length of the Kings Highway on roadside banners and signage at petrol pumps, public toilets, retail food outlets and driver reviver stations.

ACT and NSW Police continue to urge drivers to slow down and will target speeding drivers over the summer months.

Sergeant Angus Duncombe of the South Coast Police Highway Patrol said speeding remained the leading cause of motor vehicle crashes on the Kings Highway, and was an action drivers could easily avoid.

“Don’t put your life or your passengers’ lives in danger by doing the wrong thing,” he said. “Be alert and remember your summer for the right reasons.”

Police are also concerned with the number of crashes caused by driver fatigue, as it is among the three biggest killers on the Kings Highway.

Sergeant Ian McManus of Shoalhaven Highway Patrol said safety was everyone’s responsibility and he believes passengers should feel empowered to influence change in risky driver behaviour.

“If passengers feel confident to speak up and tell drivers to slow down or pull over to take a rest, it could make an enormous difference to road fatality numbers,” he said.

With the expected influx of motorists set to travel along the Kings Highway to the coast drivers are reminded to be patient, stay alert, obey speed limits and take regular breaks.