IN FOCUS
BUSWAYS ROAD SAFETY PLEDGE
BUSWAYS BACKS NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY WEEK Dual-state operator Busways encouraged all road users to ‘drive so others survive’ during National Road Safety Week (Nov 15 – 22), with its drivers in South Australia and New South Wales pledging to do so.
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n addition to Busways reminding road users to be vigilant when behind the wheel, it advocates doing so “especially around large vehicles like buses”. Busways’ drivers took the pledge in November – and with more than 1,300 bus drivers, the company is on board with the national campaign as an opportunity to remind all drivers and other road users of the influence they have on our roads, it states. “Safety is always top priority for our workforce,” Busways managing director Byron Rowe said. “While we hold responsibility ourselves, it’s important other road users remember that buses are large heavy vehicles that can’t stop quickly. All road users, pedestrians and passengers have a part to play when it comes to road safety. “When incidents occur, the mental 26
and physical toll it can have on bus drivers and the public can be colossal, depending on the severity of the incident. “Education campaigns and programs such as National Road Safety Week and Busways’ Driver Training Program are core to building our safety culture,” Rowe explained. “The reality is that many road safety incidents are preventable if people pay attention on the road and respect road rules around heavy vehicles.”
THE STATS During 2015 to 2019, 34 people were killed and 295 seriously injured in heavy bus crashes across NSW, the company reminds. Of the 34 people killed, 13 were pedestrians – our most vulnerable road users, it adds. Eleven were drivers, six were passengers, three were
motorcyclists and one was a pedal cyclist, it explains. Most fatalities and serious injuries occurred in metropolitan areas where pedestrians make up nearly half of all lives lost in heavy bus crashes, Busways states. National Road Safety Week is an annual initiative highlighting the impact of road trauma and ways to reduce it; people can take the pledge ‘drive so others survive’ with daily themes reinforcing various important messages about safe driving, it says.
TAKING THE PLEDGE “By participating in this important campaign, we’re encouraging our drivers to take the pledge and drive so others survive,” Rowe said. “The National Road Safety Week message is simple: slow down, look out for others [and] make safe decisions so
ABC December 2020 busnews.com.au
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