❓ Mr. Love questions the Minister for Road Safety on rising fatality rates, particularly in regional WA. The Minister acknowledges the issue, defends the government's investment in road safety, and highlights the need to address risky behaviour, especially among young men in regional areas.
AnsweredQoN 13Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
Road safety
13. Mr Shane Love to the Minister for Road Safety :
I refer to the tragically
spiralling serious injury and fatality rates on Western Australian roads,
particularly regional roads, adding to the thousands of Western Australians who
have been injured, including from a serious accident on
Brand Highway and Jurien Road in my electorate just this week. The minister is the
third minister in under two years to preside over this portfolio and the associated
Road Trauma Trust Account.
(1) Is road safety really a priority of this
government?
(2) Noting that fatality rates are reaching record
highs under the watch of this government, what will the minister be doing to curb
this tragic toll, which his predecessors have failed to address?
13. Mr Shane Love to the Minister for Road Safety :
I refer to the tragically
spiralling serious injury and fatality rates on Western Australian roads,
particularly regional roads, adding to the thousands of Western Australians who
have been injured, including from a serious accident on
Brand Highway and Jurien Road in my electorate just this week. The minister is the
third minister in under two years to preside over this portfolio and the associated
Road Trauma Trust Account.
(1) Is road safety really a priority of this
government?
(2) Noting that fatality rates are reaching record
highs under the watch of this government, what will the minister be doing to curb
this tragic toll, which his predecessors have failed to address?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) Thank you for the opportunity,
member for Mid-West. The member has raised a very important issue and one that
visits right across our community at all levels. We know about the ripple
effect when a fatality occurs in any community. We know about that in the
regions, and it is true in the metropolitan area as well. I do not agree with the
member's preamble about the role of the previous road safety minister and the ministers
who had the responsibility previous to him.
We have a disturbing trend,
member, and it is not unique to Western Australia. It is something that we are
seeing across the whole of the nation and, indeed, internationally. We have had
an incredibly good run in safety improvements to vehicles and a reduction in
the number of fatalities since the 1970s, with the introduction of new
technology like seatbelts and other developments in the design of vehicles. We
are reaching a plateau, unfortunately, and we are seeing that evident in
Western Australia as well, where that steady decline has stopped occurring. It
is a concern. It is something that this government is responding to.
The member will be aware of the
$1 billion investment that has been allocated to regional road safety since
2020. This is a very important commitment of this government. On the advice of
the RAC and other people across the community, we have invested more than $1 billion
across regional roads to make them safer. This has had a very positive impact
on road safety statistics. Many members opposite would have benefited from this
work in their own constituencies. It includes upgrades and improvements to approximately
9,000 kilometres of regional roads. We have seen widening, we have seen sealing
of road shoulders and we are seeing the installation of audible edge lines, or
rumble strips, and improved markings and centreline devices. These road
treatments have been proven to save lives.
A report on the Regional Road
Safety Program showed a 17% reduction in the number of people killed and
seriously injured in crashes, including a 52% reduction in fatal crashes. Nine
lives are estimated to be saved each year because of this government's
commitment not just to road safety, but to regional road safety. I think this
is a very commendable effort by the government, but we know that one fatality
is one too many, so we are continuing to do our work right across Western
Australia. The member may recall that during the election, this government made
a $5 million commitment to extend this program to council-controlled roads
across the regions. This is work we are doing across Western Australia. It is
resulting in improvements. It is saving lives. There are other issues, member.
This is real progress and it would have saved lives in the member's electorate
as well; I am sure of that—right across the board. It is something that
the member should accept as an achievement of this government.
This is an issue that impacts
governments across the country and across the world. I, as the new road safety
minister, have been getting involved in a lot of meetings with a lot of
organisations to get across this portfolio because this is something that can
affect every one of us. I am sure that it has already affected some people in
this chamber. This is something we never want to politicise. We want to work
together to achieve results. This is what this government will be doing. I am
particularly concerned, member, about the behaviour of young men, particularly
on regional roads. We know that the statistics show that there is an over-representation
of fatalities in the regions. In fact, the statistics show that it is not
people from Perth driving in the regions, but people who live in the regions who
come to grief in single-vehicle accidents that leave the road. There is real
work that we need to do. It is a good issue to raise. The government has a
razor-sharp focus on this issue. I am committed to approach the issue as
vigorously as my predecessor did. There is a lot more to learn and to do. But,
ultimately, it comes down to the responsibility of the person behind the wheel,
and that is another issue that we need to address.
member for Mid-West. The member has raised a very important issue and one that
visits right across our community at all levels. We know about the ripple
effect when a fatality occurs in any community. We know about that in the
regions, and it is true in the metropolitan area as well. I do not agree with the
member's preamble about the role of the previous road safety minister and the ministers
who had the responsibility previous to him.
We have a disturbing trend,
member, and it is not unique to Western Australia. It is something that we are
seeing across the whole of the nation and, indeed, internationally. We have had
an incredibly good run in safety improvements to vehicles and a reduction in
the number of fatalities since the 1970s, with the introduction of new
technology like seatbelts and other developments in the design of vehicles. We
are reaching a plateau, unfortunately, and we are seeing that evident in
Western Australia as well, where that steady decline has stopped occurring. It
is a concern. It is something that this government is responding to.
The member will be aware of the
$1 billion investment that has been allocated to regional road safety since
2020. This is a very important commitment of this government. On the advice of
the RAC and other people across the community, we have invested more than $1 billion
across regional roads to make them safer. This has had a very positive impact
on road safety statistics. Many members opposite would have benefited from this
work in their own constituencies. It includes upgrades and improvements to approximately
9,000 kilometres of regional roads. We have seen widening, we have seen sealing
of road shoulders and we are seeing the installation of audible edge lines, or
rumble strips, and improved markings and centreline devices. These road
treatments have been proven to save lives.
A report on the Regional Road
Safety Program showed a 17% reduction in the number of people killed and
seriously injured in crashes, including a 52% reduction in fatal crashes. Nine
lives are estimated to be saved each year because of this government's
commitment not just to road safety, but to regional road safety. I think this
is a very commendable effort by the government, but we know that one fatality
is one too many, so we are continuing to do our work right across Western
Australia. The member may recall that during the election, this government made
a $5 million commitment to extend this program to council-controlled roads
across the regions. This is work we are doing across Western Australia. It is
resulting in improvements. It is saving lives. There are other issues, member.
This is real progress and it would have saved lives in the member's electorate
as well; I am sure of that—right across the board. It is something that
the member should accept as an achievement of this government.
This is an issue that impacts
governments across the country and across the world. I, as the new road safety
minister, have been getting involved in a lot of meetings with a lot of
organisations to get across this portfolio because this is something that can
affect every one of us. I am sure that it has already affected some people in
this chamber. This is something we never want to politicise. We want to work
together to achieve results. This is what this government will be doing. I am
particularly concerned, member, about the behaviour of young men, particularly
on regional roads. We know that the statistics show that there is an over-representation
of fatalities in the regions. In fact, the statistics show that it is not
people from Perth driving in the regions, but people who live in the regions who
come to grief in single-vehicle accidents that leave the road. There is real
work that we need to do. It is a good issue to raise. The government has a
razor-sharp focus on this issue. I am committed to approach the issue as
vigorously as my predecessor did. There is a lot more to learn and to do. But,
ultimately, it comes down to the responsibility of the person behind the wheel,
and that is another issue that we need to address.
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