Road Safety

The Hon. G.A. KANDELAARS (15:13): My question is to the Minister for Road Safety. With Easter fast approaching, can the minister update the chamber on the government's road safety message for the upcoming Easter weekend?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (15:14): I thank the honourable member for their important question and, as it turns out, it is an incredibly timely question. As we approach this long weekend, the road safety message this government is spreading is that a ride to the Royal Adelaide Hospital in the MAC helicopter is the flight that you do not want to take this Easter. No-one wants to see a family member taking a ride in the MAC helicopter as we approach this long weekend.

This government continues to take road safety incredibly seriously. As members are aware, long weekends come with an increase in traffic, particularly with holiday goers looking to enjoy time with their family, friends and loved ones, particularly in our state's regions. A figure that puts this message into focus is that, over the last five years, 70 per cent of fatalities and serious crash injuries during the Easter long weekends have occurred in rural South Australia.

It is undeniable that any death on our roads is a tragedy, and while we find ourselves glancing at numerical figures which form the state's road toll the lasting impacts these incidents can have on families are often forgotten. For every death that occurs on our roads we can also not forget the continuing pain and burden individuals and families may endure as a result of serious injuries sustained on our roads. I urge all road users to reflect on this year's Easter road safety message and consider the potential consequences of their own behaviour: consequences we can avoid by taking our time to arrive home safely, by taking a break during long journeys, by being mindful of our speed and the road conditions and by avoiding distractions whilst driving.

Police, of course, will be out in force this long weekend, but it is on each and every one of us to ensure we do the right thing and arrive home safely, because it is not just about ourselves but also about our families, friends and loved ones. Of course it is also about our fellow road users. I extend this message to all members and ask them to support the government in delivering this timely and vital message to our state as we approach the Easter long weekend. I ask them to reinforce the message that every single one of us has the ability to make our roads safer, because behaviour continues to be one of the major contributors to death and injury on our roads.

So, simple actions, like sticking to the speed limit, taking the opportunity for a 15-minute break every two hours of driving, and remaining patient on our roads will help ensure we keep this Easter fatality free. The 2014 Easter long weekend showed us that we can have a fatality free Easter long weekend, but this requires us to all be alert and mindful of our behaviour. I do not want to see another fatality on our roads this long weekend, and I am certain this sentiment is broadly shared in this house. Together, let us make the 2016 Easter a zero fatality long weekend so that we can all be free to relax and enjoy our time off and return next week with fond memories instead of a tragic and traumatic experience.

This morning at a media event I had the great pleasure of being able to meet and talk to many of those people who serve our community on the front line when there is a tragedy on our roads. I had the opportunity to chat to Dr Bill Griggs, a well-known South Australian and someone who is widely regarded throughout the medical fraternity. I asked him how he handles doing the work he does. He explained to me that he has been serving our state, often in the MAC rescue helicopter, attending road traumas ever since he was a graduate from university.

I expected him to respond by saying that, as time has gone and he had seen it all in various versions hundreds of times, it had therefore become water off a duck's back, but he explained that, when as a doctor he treats patients, it is still an incredibly personal experience. He has had to personally endure the experience of talking to loved ones who have lost a family member as a result of a road trauma accident, and that has taken a toll. He says that it never gets easier, no matter how many times he has had to endure that experience—speaking to a loved one who has so dramatically had their world turned upside down—it is an incredibly difficult experience. No matter how many times it has occurred, it never gets easier.

I also had the pleasure this morning of chatting to members of SAPOL, who of course will be out in force this long weekend, doing everything they can to ensure people obey the law and keep our roads safe. Members of SAPOL also shared their experiences with me of having to address families in need and to pass on tragic messages to loved ones, and all too often many of these instances can be avoided. I read a statistic recently that in approximately 25 per cent, a whole quarter, of all road traffic accidents that occur where a life is lost speed is involved.

Speed continues to be a major contributing factor to incidents where lives are lost. I understand that people want to get to their holiday destination in a rush to get on with their holidays, but if people simply slowed down, obeyed the speed limit and took their time they would dramatically decrease the likelihood of a tragedy occurring, they would dramatically decrease the likelihood of a family member having their world turned upside down by seeing a car accident occur.

So slow down, and, of course, please make sure that we do not drink and drive. Another critical message that we were getting out this morning was to take the time to have a break. If people are driving for over two hours—and I know that many members opposite travel long distances, on occasions, to get home—they should be taking a break of approximately 15 minutes every two hours to make sure they stay alert. Then they too can drive safely and ensure that everyone in our community remains safe this Easter long weekend. Let us shoot for zero fatalities this weekend. We have achieved that in the past and, as road safety minister, I very much hope we can achieve it again this Easter.