An Easter blessing and road safety message
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Today, the City of Wanneroo’s annual Blessing of the Roads ceremony served as timely reminder about the importance of road safety during the Easter holiday period.
The event, which took place at Greenfields Park in Hocking, promotes safety for motorists, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians during the busy Easter holidays.
Wanneroo Mayor Tracey Roberts implored all road users to take care on the roadsand to help share the road safety message with others.
“In 2018, we lost 158 lives on WA’s roads, and between 2013 and 2017 a total of 7,365 people were killed or seriously injured on roads in the Perth metropolitan region alone,” Mayor Roberts said.
“Again and again the same contributing factors emerge: fatigue, excessive speed, driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and not wearing a seat belt,” she said.
“This means that many of the hundreds of fatalities and thousands of serious injuries that have occurred on our roads in recent years – often involving innocent victims – could and should have been avoided.
“So for the sake of our loved ones and all road users, I urge all motorists to drive responsibly, follow speed limits, wear seatbelts, never use mobile phones while driving, and never, ever drink and drive.”
The WA Police Chaplain Joe Newbold prayed for the safety of all road users, including emergency services staff who often deal with road trauma during this time.
Special guest speakers included Iain Cameron, Chairman of the Road Safety Council, and Neil Hart, an injury prevention speaker for Paraplegic Benefit Fund Australia.
Representatives from WA Police and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services attended the event, promoting the importance of the Easter road safety campaign.
Students from local schools also played an important part by placing white crosses in the ground to pay respect to victims of road fatalities.
During the event, Mayor Roberts presented two Human Spirit Awards for Road Safety.
The awards acknowledge the outstanding efforts of people who strive to keep others safe on the roads and were presented to the following people:
Ryan Gibson
In his former role as Road Safety and Travelsmart Officer at the City of Wanneroo, Ryan implemented the RoadWise Working Group’s Strategic Action Plan, helped develop the City’s new Cycle Plan and conducted a review of road speed limits within the City of Wanneroo.
He has won several awards for his dedication to road safety and is now applying his expertise in a new role as Coordinator Planning and Design at the City of Rockingham.
Rusty Nelligan
Rusty is a dedicated volunteer at Rawlinson Primary School in Marangaroo. He was nominated for his tireless work maintaining safety on the roads outside the school, and for going above and beyond to ensure students cross safely. Congratulations Rusty and thank you for your contribution to community safety.
Members of the Wanneroo RoadWise Working Group were also recognised for their dedicated volunteer work with the Driver Reviver van, as well as free caravan and trailer safety checks.