Ocean Grove residents are being urged to help make streets safer by having ‘Life Saving’ stickers pasted to their garbage wheelie bins. Australia is on track in 2016 to equal the number of pedestrian fatalities recorded in 2015 which grew for the third consecutive year. The Australian Road Safety Federation (ARSF) has extended an initiative it hopes will reverse the statistics and ensure a decline in the number of deaths and injuries.
The large stickers, which feature life-size images of children stepping towards the road and speed limit signs, are designed to provide a strong visual road safety reminder to motorists.
The images are based on research which found that signs that depict motion resulted in faster reaction times and increased vigilance among would-be drivers, which could ultimately lead to faster stopping times.
Use of the stickers in other Australian states has seen over 5000 distributed and applied to wheelie bins throughout the country.
So powerful is the campaign, some councils are buying them in bulk to make available to residents.
The ARSF now wants more residents in Victoria to get on board.
“Between January and May this year, 67 pedestrians were killed on Australian roads. If trends continue, the number could reach or even exceed last year’s number of 165,” ARSF CEO Russell White said.
“Drivers need to be sent a reminder that is visual and available to them when they are on the road,” he said.
“The ‘Life Saving’ sticker campaign provides a real-time reminder to motorists to reduce their speed.
“If someone is exceeding the speed limit, we hope these stickers will prompt them to immediately slow down. Even small changes in vehicle speed can have a dramatic impact on stopping distances.”
Of the 67 pedestrians killed so far this year, seven were under 16 years of age.
Residents interested in purchasing a sticker for their bin can contact the ARSF hotline on 1300 723 843 or email info@australianroadsafetyfoundation.com to arrange to purchase stickers.
