Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As we draw close to the end of another year, entering what is colloquially described as the ‘festive season’, I wish to raise the matter of safety on the roads during this time of the year. It is an extreme shame that the message to drivers to take heed of the ‘fatal four’ still has failed to make an impact with some drivers. The fatal four campaign identifies four special rules that, if obeyed, greatly reduce the possibilities of road accidents and consequent serious injury or death. These are rules that are even more critical given the high number of vehicles on the roads during the Christmas holiday season, as well as the significant number of motorists who are travelling long distances to be with loved ones over Christmas or to enjoy a break away at their favourite holiday destination. Often that favourite holiday destination is Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, which I am privileged to represent in the Australian parliament.

The fatal four campaign’s simple rules are: always wear a seatbelt, do not drink and drive, keep to the speed limit and do not drive while tired. The fatal four campaign is one whose results are immeasurable. It is impossible to know exactly how many lives have been saved because the drivers have heard these simple rules and taken heed of them. In the extreme majority of road accidents at least one of the fatal four has played a part.

The Sunshine Coast has had a horrid year on the roads. In the north coast region of Queensland, which covers an area from Redcliffe to Bundaberg, including the coast, there have been 58 deaths on our roads. Tragically, there have been eight deaths so far this month to 22 November. They include three teenagers who were killed when the car they were in smashed into a tree on a suburban road in Mountain Creek in the early hours of 18 November. It was heartbreaking to see the photos of the victims on the front page of the local newspaper. These were lives that were taken needlessly and tragically as a result of a road accident.

Four more people were killed in a six-day period in early October. Eight people have died in motorcycle crashes on the Sunshine Coast this year—the most recent on 5 November. There has been no shortage of tragedies involving teenagers on Australia’s roads this year. Just last week, three teens died in an accident in Western Sydney. There have also been accidents in Tasmania and near Byron Bay in which teenagers were the main victims.

Today I am adding my support to the growing number of Australians who are pleading with all drivers to slow down on our roads and to drive sensibly by obeying the road rules to give themselves the best chance of arriving at their destination safely. I appeal to all teenagers on the verge of getting the freedom that a drivers licence brings: please be sensible; take your time, be patient and resist the urge to speed or do silly things. In Queensland at the moment, on the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast in particular, we have schoolies week. People who have left school obviously want to celebrate the conclusion of their secondary years, but it is particularly important at this time that they observe the messages of the fatal four campaign.

As a father of two teenagers—both of them now with drivers licences—I am aware on the one hand of the need to give our children the independence they require to get out and experience life, while on the other hand keeping a tight enough rein on them so that they will grow into mature adults learning to behave sensibly and safely when behind the wheel. Unfortunately, we cannot be with our children 24/7. We need to give them a certain amount of breathing space to allow them to learn things on their own and grow up as well-rounded individuals. It is a difficult balancing act when it comes to driving.

It is well documented that young people—males in particular—make up the larger proportion of those who lose their lives in crashes on our roads. Drivers aged under 21 have a death rate on our roads that is 10 times that of drivers aged over 40. Last year, in March, the Australian government announced a drivers education trial. It will start later this year in New South Wales and Victoria. The trial was the first stage in the plan by the government for a nationwide rollout, including Queensland, by 2007. The trial was one of the most comprehensive studies ever of teenage driver education. It will consist of 14,000 drivers—7,000 in both New South Wales and Victoria—and another 14,000 will be signed up to be used as a comparison group.

These programs and the statistics are all well and good, but there is nothing that should be more effective in guiding the attitudes of our young drivers as much as the support and advice of a loved one. It has been said that everyone makes mistakes while driving and that most are little things that are quickly corrected and have no lasting significance. It is unfortunate that things often done on the spur of the moment can have lasting consequences. On the roads, regrettably, it can mean permanent injury or even death.

So, I repeat my earlier plea to young drivers: make a conscious decision to take extra care on the roads but also to heed the words of your fathers, mothers, relatives and friends when they ask you to drive sensibly and to slow down. Unfortunately, I think many young people tend to think they are indestructible. They seem to think that while it can happen to other people it can never happen to them. It is important for young Australians, who are our nation’s future, to appreciate that they have their whole lives ahead of them.

At this stage I would like to thank the Australian government for making significant funding contributions to address black spots in my electorate of Fisher. Recently, I was able to announce that $375,000 from the $44.5 million AusLink black spot program had been allocated to my electorate. This money was allocated for the installation of a single-lane roundabout at the intersection of Memorial Avenue and Third Avenue at Maroochydore at a cost of $115,000; the construction of a single-lane roundabout at the Mons Road on-ramp at Forest Glen, with building costs of $240,000; and the remodelling of traffic signals at the intersection of Maltman Street and Queen Street in Caloundra at a cost of $20,000.

These funding announcements follow previous black spot funding allocations of $220,000 late last year. These funds went toward the following projects: the installation of a roundabout at the intersection of Mary Street and Arthur Street, Caloundra, at a cost of $50,000; the installation of traffic lights at the corner of Beerburrum Street and Albatross Avenue, Caloundra, at a cost of $75,000; kerb and channel modification works and dedicated left turn lane on the Mons Road and Tanawha Tourist Drive intersection in Buderim, at a cost of $15,000; and significant roadworks at the corner of Mons Road and Parsons Road, Buderim, to help improve sight distance and upgrade lighting and signage, at a total cost of $80,000.

This black spot road funding program is now in its 11th year and continues to ensure work is carried out at some of the high-risk accident areas across the nation. It is money the Australian government is kicking in because the state governments are simply not putting in the funds necessary to remove an adequate number of black spots. The removal of black spots clearly saves Australian lives.

It has been reported that some 700 dangerous crash sites in Queensland have been eliminated since 1996 through funding of more than $88.5 million through this vital program. I am told that an evaluation indicated that this returned around $14 in benefit for every $1 invested and prevented at least 32 fatalities and more than 1,500 serious injuries in its first three years alone. In recognition of the success of the AusLink black spot program, the Australian government has extended the program for a further two years, from 2006-07 to 2007-08, at a cost of $90 million.

However, the best roads will be of little value if drivers do not drive to the conditions and stick to the speed limits. It is a sobering fact that the majority of serious car accidents have causes that are preventable if we use our common sense and drive to the conditions. I urge all drivers to be patient and careful and to heed the fatal four. If we were able to get this message out amongst the Australian community, Australia’s road toll would be substantially reduced and the trauma that follows the maiming and loss of lives, often young lives, would be avoided. It really is important to get that message out. As elected representatives, it is vital that wherever possible we encourage young drivers in Australia to drive carefully and to be careful to observe the messages of the fatal four to avoid becoming a statistic. Statistics are all too often avoidable. Let us do whatever we can as a community to reduce the road toll. (Time expired)

Michael Hatton (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The time for the grievance debate has expired. The debate is interrupted and I put the question:

That grievances be noted.

Question agreed to.