THE importance of road safety ahead of the busy Easter and school holiday period will be highlighted at the City of Wanneroo’s annual Blessing of the Roads event on Monday, April 3.
Last year 195 people died on western Australian roads – the highest number in eight years.
This year, the Easter long weekend starts on Friday, April 14 and finishes on Monday, April 17.
WA Police, fire and ambulance services will attend the city’s blessing event along with school students, who will place crosses in the ground to pay respect to those who have lost their lives in road crashes.
The WA Police Chaplain will perform a blessing beside the busy Wanneroo Rd and Joondalup Dr intersection, praying for the safety of road users and emergency service crews.
Human Spirit Awards will also be presented, acknowledging dedicated individuals and groups that contribute to road safety each day.
The Western Australian Local Government Association said the Blessing of the Roads campaign was aligned with Towards Zero, WA’s road safety strategy 2008-2020, which has a long term vision of a road transport system where crashes resulting in death or serious injury are virtually eliminated.
The Blessing of the Roads campaign seeks to remind road users that everyone shares responsibility for road safety.
The campaign calls on the community to be responsible for our own actions, assist in creating a safer road system in our community and state, slow down and enjoy the ride, not drink and drive and wear seatbelts and ensure children are properly restrained.
It also encourages drivers to take breaks to avoid fatigue when travelling – every two hours is recommended, change drivers or stop and revive at one of the many coffee stops or Driver Reviver locations and to turn off mobile phones to avoid being distracted while driving.
