FOR MEDIA 11 December 1985
JOINT PRESS RELEASE BY THE PRIME MINISTER, MR HAWKE, AND THE
MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT, MR MORRIS
A comprehensive national road safety program to tackle the tragic
death rate among young road users will start early next year.
The Federal Government has adopted the program which is a
four-pronged attack aimed at reducing death and injury among the
nation's youth.-
In its 1985/ 86 budget, my Government deemed young Australia to be
" Priority One".
In line with that principle and the philosophy behind
International Youth Year, we'll be directing Australia's greatest
road safety effort towards conserving our most important natural
resource, our young people.
My Government's existing road safety strategy, which is directed
to all Australians, has made a substantial contribution to road
safety improvements in recent years.
We're developing better, safer roads through record funding
levels, ensuring that cars are safe, and increasing research and
public education activities by the Government's Federal office of
Road Safety.
It should be well known that road crashes are the biggest killer
of young Australians.
The 17 to 25 year old group represents only 15 per cent of the
population, but makes up 37 per cent of all road crash
fatalities. My Government will confront this national tragedy by
concentrating on four key groups.
A program aimed at young drivers will be sponsored by mobil Oil
Australia with the Federal office of Road Safety.
Mobil has taken up the challenge to industry I offered at last
year's national road safety symposium, where I stressed the need
for national co-operation and industry effort to fight the road
toll.
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In accepting this challenge, Mobil will be working hand-in-hand
with-' the Government to promote safer driving among young drivers.
This innovative and exciting program of public sector and private
enterprise co-operation will continue through to our Bicentenary
year. Three other young road user groups motorcyclists, bicycle
riders and young children would also be targets for substantial
efforts. Young school children are particularly vulnerable.
To improve their awareness of road safety in a way to which they
can easily relate, activity books for children, along with guides
for teachers and parents will be available for the start of the
school year.
Bicycle safety is particularly important for children and the
whole question of bike safety and their place on the roads will
be carefully covered.
A three-day national bicycle safety conference Bikesafe 86
will be held in Newcastle in April to get together interested
people from government, industry, community and user groups.
Supporting the conference aims will be a series of bike safety
television advertisements, one of which will feature Ian ' Molly'
Meldrum, to build on the tremendous popularity of the poster
series promoting helmet wearing released this year by the Federal
office of Road Safety.
A series of films identifying key motorcyclists survival skills
will be produced by the Federal office of Road Safety and
distributed to motorcycle clubs, as a positive approach to an
area of great concern for the Government.
Inexperience is a major factor in road deaths among the young,
whether it's as a car driver, a bike rider, or a youngster on
their way to school.
These programs have been developed to counter the inexperience of
the young and reflect the importance placed by the Government in
the future welfare of young Australians.