MEDIA RELEASE

26 May 2018

FIVE STATES AND TERRITORIES RECORD A FRIDAY, FATALITY FREE

Sadly, despite hundreds of thousands of Australians choosing to pledge their support for Fatality Free Friday yesterday, three people were killed on the nation’s roads.

While two crashes claimed the lives of three people across New South Wales and Victoria, the remaining states and territories achieved a Fatality Free Friday.

Fridays remain one of the deadliest on Australian roads, in fact in 2017 just 2 of the 52 Fridays were fatality free – Friday, 29 September and Friday, 20 October.

Australian Road Safety Foundation founder and CEO Russell White said his and the team’s thoughts were with the loved ones of those who lost their lives yesterday.

“When one person is killed on our roads, there are countless loved ones who will forever bear the burden of losing that person,”Mr White said.

“This is why we’re committed to advocating for road safety on Fatality Free Friday, and each and every day of the year,”

“While we can record how many fatalities there were, we cannot count the number of lives that were saved. One life lost on our roads is one too many so we will continue to drive home the safety message,” he said.

Mr White said it was the hope of the Foundation that if people committed to driving safely on Fatality Free Friday, that they would do so the next day and ultimately change their behaviour entirely.

“Too many fatal road crashes are the result of someone’s attitude or action –to speed, use a mobile phone, drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol or run a red light – we all have the choice to be safe on or near the roads,”

“Through the Fatality Free Friday initiative, our ‘choose road safety’ message has reached millions, acheived 300,000 pledges, and is encouraging safer behaviour on the roads 365 days a year.”

Held annually on the last Friday in May, Fatality Free Friday is the nation’s largest community-based road safety initiative.

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For all media enquiries please contact:

Frances Browne, Thrive PR on behalf of ARSF: [email protected] | 0431 296 499

Chanelle Mihailoff, Thrive PR on behalf of ARSF: [email protected] | 0423 892 557