Urgent call for improved care on rural roads Coffs Coast Coffs Coast by News Of The Area - Modern Media - September 20, 2024 Jarwin Rooney’s mother was killed in a crash near Park Beach in Coffs Harbour. AUSTRALIAN Road Safety Foundation (ARSF) research has revealed drivers on rural NSW roads knowingly drive without due care and attention. The research findings were released on 10 September at Diggers Beach Reserve to mark Rural Road Safety Month. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au Joining the launch were sixteen-year-old Jarwin Rooney and his grandfather Ian Rooney. Jarwin’s mother Jessica, who was Ian’s daughter, was killed in a crash in Coffs Harbour eighteen months ago. Jessica, 36, and her three children were waiting at traffic lights when their car was struck by an out of control vehicle. Jarwin now implores drivers to think of others when behind the wheel. “My message is to drive safely, they’re not just statistics… these are people’s lives,” he said. “They’re lives that have been taken away from mums, dads, brothers and sisters.” Almost half of all NSW drivers (45 percent) admit to unsafe driving practices on rural roads, the survey revealed. More than two in five (43 percent) admitted to speeding on country roads, eighteen percent acknowledged driving despite feeling fatigued, and twelve percent are guilty of using a mobile phone behind the wheel. The findings also show that Sydney-based drivers are more likely to disregard rural road safety, with more than a third (38 percent) admitting that they are less vigilant about road safety in regional areas compared to 22 percent of local rural drivers). The primary reason NSW drivers are breaking laws on regional roads is that they believe it’s safe (39 percent) but distraction (16 percent) and not getting caught (14 percent) are also key factors. The Diggers Beach event featured a powerful installation of 811 standing sunflowers, each symbolising a life lost on rural and remote roads across Australia in 2023. More than two-thirds (66 percent) of fatalities recorded in NSW last year (233 deaths) occurred on regional roads. JARSF founder and chair Russell White, said the survey results reveal an alarming trifecta of individual attitudes towards risk, consequence and how an overall lack of rural road safety resilience may be fuelling fatal and serious incidents. “People are a lot less patient and they’re more aggravated on the roads,” he said. Also at the launch were Executive Manager at AAMI Laura Heffernan and Assistant Commissioner David Driver, who is Commander of the NSW Traffic and Highway Patrol. By Andrea FERRARI Commander of the Traffic and Highway Patrol, Asst Comm David Driver, Chair of ARSF Russell White, mother of a road victim Katie Domanovic, Jarwin Rooney, Executive Manager at AAMI Laura Heffernan and BOC Project Manager Shane Walley.
