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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-02-23 Daily Xml
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ROAD SAFETY

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON (Croydon) (15:06): Can the Minister for Road Safety tell the house about Thinker in Residence Professor Fred Wegman's visit to our state?

An honourable member: Have you changed your tie?

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr KENYON (Newland—Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing, Minister for Road Safety, Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Minister Assisting the Premier with South Australia's Strategic Plan) (15:06): Do you like it?

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr Pengilly interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Finniss, behave yourself!

Mr KENYON: That's very mean. I would firstly like to make mention of the work of the previous minister for road safety for his dedication to the portfolio over the last 11 months—he left it in a very good state. On a personal note, I am honoured to have been given responsibility for such an important portfolio, a portfolio that affects any one and every one of us in so many different ways.

There were 105 fatal crashes in our state last year, resulting in 118 fatalities. It is interesting to note that of these crashes only three did not involve one or more of the killer five. They are: speed; drink and or drug driving; fatigue; driver inattention; or not wearing a seatbelt. The heart-wrenching aspect for the families, friends and relatives of people involved in these crashes is that they were preventable. As a community, we can do better. We need to do better.

That is just one of the reasons why we appointed a Thinker in Residence dedicated to the area of road safety, Professor Fred Wegman of the Netherlands, who delivered his final lecture on the Tuesday evening of last week. I note that the member for Kavel, the member for Norwood and the member for Adelaide also attended. I hope they found the lecture as interesting and informative as I did. During the lecture, Professor Wegman said his aim was to broaden the ownership of road safety. It is a collective community responsibility. We all have a part to play in bringing down the road toll.

Members may already be aware that Professor Wegman is one of the leading international figures in road safety. He is currently the Managing Director of the Institute for Road Safety Research in the Netherlands and the Chair of Road Safety at the Delft University of Technology. He is also involved with a number of international committees and organisations and has advised on road safety across a number of European and developing countries.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

Mr KENYON: Professor Wegman's home country is one of the best performing countries in terms of road safety, with the fatality rate considerably lower than here in South Australia. During his time with us, Professor Wegman contributed to the development of new road safety strategies at both the state and federal levels. As part of his residency, he engaged with the Road Safety Advisory Council in the development of a new South Australian Road Safety Strategy 2011-20. He also met extensively with government departments, local councils, industry and researchers.

While in South Australia, Professor Wegman spent many hours observing both metropolitan and regional traffic and roads to gain an in-depth picture of the key issues we are facing. Professor Wegman's approach to road safety takes into account interactions between road users, the road network and vehicles. It is this approach that has been adopted in the best performing road safety nations around the world.

Professor Wegman's overall message is clear: injury and death on the road are not inevitable and crashes, to a large extent, are preventable. I agree with Professor Wegman when he says that road safety is an extremely complex area where there are no quick fixes. Solutions must, by nature, be multifaceted and will need a bipartisan approach.

I look forward to seeing Professor Wegman's final report due by late May/early June. I also look forward to receiving the new South Australian Road Safety Strategy which will draw on his observations and expertise. This strategy is expected to be completed later this year, and I look forward to coming back to the house with details at that time.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Professor Wegman, on behalf of the South Australian government and the state, for his valuable contribution during this time as a thinker in residence here in South Australia.

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