Improving roads best way
to cut toll: RAC
From The West Australian
By Alison Batcheler
February 02, 2007
Spending an extra
$200 million on improving WA’s dangerous roads and highways
could save 25 lives each year and prevent 430 serious injuries, the
RAC estimates.
RAC executive manager
for member advocacy David Moir said yesterday the State Government’s
2003-07 Arriving Safely strategy estimated that improving road conditions
would save as many lives as safer cars and improving driver safety
combined.
The strategy aims to cut deaths by 64 each year and injuries by 1000
by the end of 2007 and estimates that 43 per cent of the lives saved
and injuries avoided could be achieved by improving roads, Mr Moir
said.
“On that
basis, we estimate that at least 25 lives a year in WA could be saved
and 430 long-term injuries could be avoided if an extra $200 million
is put into making our roads safer,” he said.
“The biggest
gains will come from giving people a safer road environment so that
if they do have a crash or lose control of their vehicle they don’t
pay with their lives. They’ve got more chance of surviving.”
The RAC wants the
Main Roads State Budget allocation for next financial year increased
from the forecast $748 million to $950 million.
It estimates $20
million of the extra money would help speed up projects such as upgrading
parts of the Albany, Brockman, Muir, Great Southern, South Western
and Vasse highways and the Old Coast Road.
Another $130 million
would cover spiralling road construction and maintenance costs and
$50 million could be spent on new traffic control and driver safety
technology.
Accelerating work
to build more overtaking lanes, wider and sealed shoulders, audible
edge linings and crash barriers on the roadside and between oncoming
lanes had the potential to save as many lives as campaigns targeted
at speeding, drink-driving, inattention, fatigue and seatbelts, Mr
Moir said.
Police Minister
John Kobelke said $80 million had been budgeted this financial year
for road safety through the State Black Spot, Road Enhancement and
Safer Roads programs.
Mr Kobelke said
he would continue to argue in the Budget process for major investments
in road safety.
Shadow minister
for road safety John McGrath renewed calls for an independent review
of road safety, saying ad-hoc messages such as “speed kills”,
“slow down” and “wear seatbelts” were wearing
thin and not getting through.
Road Safety Council
chairman Grant Dorrington said WA’s road safety program was
based on the world’s best road safety information and reviewed
independently each month by Monash University.
