New road safety campaign asks drivers to slow down and look for kids

Published on 10 December 2019

Byron Shire Council and the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation have joined forces to promote the It’s Holiday Time road safety campaign. 

Targeting drivers, the It’s Holiday Time campaign asks people to slow down and look out for children in busy holiday destinations in the Byron Shire.

The Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation was founded by Michelle McLaughlin, whose son Tom died in a roadside accident on the Central Coast when he was four years old.

“Beaches and towns like Byron Bay and Brunswick Heads are very busy in the holiday season and not only are there lots of people out and about, but there’s lots of traffic as well,” Ms McLaughlin said.

“We not only want drivers to be more aware of pedestrians, particularly little people, but we need parents and adults to make it a priority to hold a child’s hand when they are near the road,” she said.

Byron Shire Mayor, Simon Richardson, said it’s impossible to be too cautious and there are lessons for the entire community when it comes to educating people about road safety.

“Our beaches and parks are simply heaving with people on foot, on bicycles and in cars during the summer holidays and all it takes is a momentary lapse of concentration for an accident to happen,” Mayor Richardson said.

“Byron Shire Council is proud to be partnering with the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation to promote holiday road safety,” he said.

“It’s great to see some of the local children from Brunswick  Heads attending this launch because I know they will go home and pass the messages on to mum and dad,” Mayor Richardson said.

Signage will be installed at Byron Bay’s Main Beach promoting road safety and Council will also be running a social media campaign.

For more information contact Annie Lewis, Byron Shire Council’s Media and Communications Coordinator, on 6626 7320.

To read more about Michelle McLaughlin’s story or the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation go to www.littlebluedinosaur.org