Saving Young Lives in Cambridge

Published on 14 December 2023

Town of Cambridge partners with Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation to boost child pedestrian safety awareness

The Town of Cambridge has become the first local government in Western Australia to join forces with national not-for-profit Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation to help boost child pedestrian safety around its playgrounds, parks, and busy roadways.

The Town has installed metal ‘Hold My Hand’ signs – created by the Foundation – in visible areas throughout Cambridge.

The Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation’s mission is to help protect child pedestrians from the ever-present danger of roadways and moving motor vehicles. This is done through community education and effective road safety initiatives, including distinctive signage around playgrounds and busy roads.

Sadly, road trauma remains the leading cause of death for children aged 1 to 14 in this country. On average, one child is killed in a road crash in Australia every week, with 35 young lives lost last year. Nearly one-third of child road trauma fatalities involve pedestrians.

Town of Cambridge Mayor Gary Mack, Councillor Georgie Randklev, and Chief Executive Officer Gary Tuffin welcomed the Town’s involvement in the project.

“The safety of our children and preventing child road trauma in the Town is of vital importance. Working with the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation will put pedestrian road safety at the top of all our minds,” Mayor Mack said.

“We are the first to embrace the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation’s initiative in WA, particularly advocating for the simple yet critical act of holding children’s hands for enhanced pedestrian road safety.

“I would like to commend Cr Randklev who first bought the initiative and Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation’s dedication to improving child pedestrian safety to the Council’s attention.

“I hope that our commitment inspires other local governments across WA to join us in this vital cause, ensuring a safer future for all our community.”

The Foundation was established in 2014 following the death of Sydney mother Michelle McLaughlin’s four-year-old son, Tom McLaughlin [pictured above] due to a pedestrian-motor vehicle crash whilst on a family holiday.

Since 2014, Michelle McLaughlin has worked tirelessly to promote the issue of child pedestrian safety, facilitating the installation of road safety signs in 74 local government areas across NSW, QLD, VIC, and SA. The signage has already been seen by millions of Australians and is now being installed throughout the Town of Cambridge as WA’s first.

“Land transport crashes are the leading cause of death for Australian children aged 1 to 14,” Michelle said.

“From 2013 to January 2023, 587 children aged 0 to 16 years were involved in a road fatality crash, with 22 per cent of these fatalities occurring when the child was a pedestrian or a cyclist. On average, one child per week dies in Australia this way, and it’s entirely preventable.

“It is especially important for young children to hold their carer’s hand when around busy roads. My family knows first-hand the heartbreaking reality of losing a child to road trauma.

“Over the past nine years, the Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation has partnered with 74 local governments in four Australian states with its signage and media campaigns. This program is very important, and we thank the Cambridge Council for being so proactive as our 75th local government and first in WA.

“It is vital that parents understand why they must hold hands with their children in traffic environments,” Michelle said.

“Parents must actively always supervise children, especially those aged 1 to 10 years, who have significant cognitive, physical, and perceptual limitations around roadways. Due to these limitations, children are unable to keep themselves safe from road trauma events and need adults to perform this responsibility on their behalf.”