Road Safety
Road safety is a shared responsibility
Forbes Shire Council plays an active role in road safety within our community by developing, implementing and evaluating practical solutions to help reduce road incidents. Council continues to implement a number of successful road safety education programs, support engineering road safety solutions and work with stakeholders to address local issues.
Local Government Road Safety Program
A strong partnership has been formed with Forbes, Parkes and Lachlan Shires, as well as Transport for NSW, since the employment of our shared Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer (RSIPO) in 2002, under the Local Government Road Safety Program.
The Program represents a collaborative approach for achieving road safety in NSW. Initiated in 1992, the program aims to involve local government and local communities in road safety planning and activities to contribute to the state-wide effort of reducing the incidence and severity of crashes.
The RSIPO's role is to develop and implement local community road safety activities, with particular focus on behaviour-change programs. Over the past 18 years, it has become evident that RSIPO's have proved very successful in complementing local engineering solutions with the provision of local education and awareness campaigns. This ability to focus on local issues is the key to the success of the program. Our current Road Safety Action Plan (2017 - 2020), was developed to address a variety of road safety issues arising from local crash data, Council priorities, NSW Police information, community feedback and the road safety priorities set out in the NSW Road Safety Strategy 2012 - 2021. These include;
- Heavy Vehicle Safety
- Child Restraints
- Driver Fatigue
- Young Driver Safety
- Drink Driving
- Safety around schools
- Speeding
- Fleet Safety
Council has adopted the 'Safe System' approach to improving road safety. This involves a holistic view of the road transport system and the interactions among roads and roadsides, travel speeds, vehicles and road users. It recognises that people will always make mistakes and may have road crashes—but the system should be forgiving and those crashes should not result in death or serious injury.
Council plays a key role in the 'Safe System'. We provide local road infrastructure, support local enforcement activities and provide the community with road safety messages and information. We deliver projects addressing local road safety issues to our community across the whole of the safe system; influencing safer people, roads, vehicles and speeds.
For further information please contact the Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils' Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, on (02) 6861 2364.
Be Road Ready for Harvest Field Day
This field day is held in August each year. Hear from a range of industry experts as they discuss the new National Class 1 Agriculture Vehicle and Combination Notice as well as guidance when applying for your online permit application. Receive up-to-date information on pilot and escort laws and gain accurate advice from the experts during the interactive machinery inspection.
Rural Road Safety Month
Locals are encouraged to brush up on the current road rules and take the pledge to help reduce road related incidents, as part of Rural Road Safety Month.
Running form August 1 to 31, the Australian Road Safety Foundation (ARSF) initiative is a national awareness campaign of driver behaviour in rural and regional areas across the country.In 2018 over 700 people were killed on rural roads. Research conducted by ARSF revealed 1 in 2 rural drivers admit to speeding, using their mobile phone or driving distracted while their own children are in the car, compared to 1 in 3 metropolitan drivers.Statistics show that rural drivers are more likely to drive under the influence and drive whilst tired compared to their city counterparts1 in 3 rural drivers have driven under the influence of drugs or alcohol, compared to 22 per cent of metro drivers,almost three quarters of rural drivers admit to driving whilst fatigued, compared to 64 per cent of metro drivers,and metro drivers (80%) and rural drivers (82%) are equally likely to speed on the roads.Rural Road Safety Month is a community-based awareness initiative that calls on everyday road users to jump in the driver seat of regional road safety, and make the pledge to:
- Always be fit to drive
- Scan the road ahead
- Know their limits and plan their trip
- Stay sharp and take regular breaks
- Not drive through flooded waters
- Be alert for wildlife and livestock
- Drive to suit the conditions
Plan B - Win a Swag Campaign
Fifty seven pubs, clubs and bottle shops across the Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Council areas offered patrons the chance to win a swag valued at $250 during December by simply writing down what their 'Plan B' was (their alternate way to get home rather than driving).
Double Demerits
Double demerit points apply for speeding, seatbelt, motorcycle helmet and mobile phone offences during some holiday periods such as long weekends, Christmas, New Year and Easter.
The double demerit points apply from midnight of the start date to midnight on the finish date:
Public Holiday |
Gazetted Public Holiday |
Double demerit point period |
School days in the double demerit point period |
Australia Day
|
Monday 27 January
|
Friday 24 to Monday 27 January inclusive
|
Nil |
Easter
|
Easter long weekend
|
Easter Thursday to Easter Monday inclusive |
|
Anzac Day |
25 April
|
Nil |
N/A |
Queen's Birthday |
|
Friday to Monday inclusive
|
Friday
|
Labour Day
|
Monday
|
Friday to Monday inclusive
|
Nil |
Christmas and Boxing Day (extra Public Holiday for Monday 28 as Boxing Day falls on a Saturday)
|
Friday 25 December
Saturday 26 December
Monday 28 December
|
Thursday 24 December 2020 to Sunday 3 January 2021 inclusive
|
Nil |
Mock Crash
Mock Crash Demonstration helps young drivers to not become road statistics
'Believable', 'very realistic', 'a real opener' - these are the sentiments of over 400 Year 10 students from across the Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Council areas that attended the recent mock car crash demonstration held at Parkes High School.Parkes, Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils' Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer, Melanie Suitor, says the mock car crash demonstration is the cornerstone of the NOT A STATISTIC! Youth Driver Education Program.Over the last 12 years there has been a 27% reduction in crashes on local roads involving young drivers.