Road safety professionals urged to register now for Road Safety Week 2018

Road safety professionals and emergency services are being encouraged to join in with Road Safety Week 2018 (7-13 May) and help raise awareness of key road safety messages. The charity Brake, which coordinates the event, is encouraging road safety professionals to go to www.roadsafetyweek.org.nz to register for a free e-action pack and get ideas on using the Week to engage local communities.

Road Safety Week, now in its 7th year, is supported by QBE Insurance and the NZ Transport Agency. It provides a great opportunity for police, fire, ambulance services and local councils to run high-profile community engagement, awareness and enforcement campaigns to promote safer, more sustainable and active road use and prevent road death and injury.

This year the Week will focus on seat belts and distractions, with a theme of Belt on, phone off - make it a habit. Brake will be calling on drivers to make wearing their seat belt a habit every time they get into the vehicle, and to commit to not using a mobile phone whilst driving.

Organisations can link their activities to the national theme, or choose a theme of their own, and use the Week to launch new campaigns, run activities, or generate extra involvement and publicity for year-round programmes. Examples of activities to run are available online.

Emergency services and road safety professionals can access ideas and register for a free e-action pack at www.roadsafetyweek.org.nz. The pack includes downloadable posters on this year's theme, web banners, advice and case studies to help you run successful activities.

Caroline Perry, Brake's NZ Director says: "Road Safety Week offers a chance for those of us working in road safety to speak out together to help prevent tragedies. Each year local councils, emergency services and other partners invest tremendous energy in getting the road safety message across, and Road Safety Week offers the potential to gain extra recognition for that work and to further engage communities in life-saving messages.

"Now is the time to register and plan how you'll take advantage of the Week and partner-up for maximum impact locally. We're encouraging professionals to consider linking their activities to the 'belt up, phone off' theme, to help encourage everyone to play their part in making our roads safer."

Harry Wilson, Safety and Environment Director, NZ Transport Agency said: "It's great to see 'Belt on' is one of the key focuses of this year's Road Safety Week. As we all know, failing to wear seatbelts is appearing as a factor in fatal crashes far too frequently. Being properly restrained reduces your change of death or serious injury in a crash by 60 per cent in the front seat and 44 per cent in the back seat. Let's all work together to promote the importance of wearing seat belts."