An Easter blessing for road safety

The event, which took place at the intersection of Wanneroo Road and Joondalup Drive, promotes safety for motorists, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians during the busy Easter holidays.

Wanneroo Mayor Tracey Roberts urged all road users to take care on the roads.

“Last year, there were 161 fatalities on WA roads and more than 1,000 people were seriously injured,” Mayor Roberts said.

“The majority of these deaths and injuries, many of which involved innocent victims, could have been avoided.

“So for the sake of our loved ones and of course all road users, all motorists need to play their part and drive carefully, follow speed limits, wear seatbelts, never use mobile phones while driving, and never 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 (Acting Road Safety Commissioner, Road Safety Commission of Western Australia) and Georgie Sweeting, (Community Outreach Coordinator, Injury Matters).

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 a part, placing white crosses in the ground, to pay respect to victims of road fatalities.

During the event, Mayor Roberts presented a number of community members with 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:

1) Bill Street, Roadwise Member, City of Wanneroo, for his commitment to road safety through his continuous and voluntary role with Roadwise for the last 17 years. Bill continues to be an invaluable member of the City’s Roadwise Team.

2) Councillor Dot Newton, Roadwise Member, City of Wanneroo, for her dedication and longstanding commitment to Roadwise and the promotion of road safety within the City of Wanneroo. Dot has been an active member of Roadwise since its inception in 2001 and has devoted countless volunteer hours to road safety initiatives such as Driver Reviver and the Annual Caravan and Trailer Check.

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.