Most of us have recently enjoyed another festive season, but inevitably it would seem, many families have been traumatised by road injuries and sadly too many deaths, 6 in the first 8 days of 2018 in Victoria alone. Those affected go far beyond those immediately involved and extend to emergency service personnel, hospital staff and medical professionals, indeed entire communities can and are affected. I pose the following and make no apology for calling it as I see it.
Are we willing to continue to sit back for another year, with the usual array of discussion groups, costly publicity campaigns, monthly meetings and the like, coming up with yet another slogan, yet another questionable (and costly) project, and more empty promises of support from all levels of government? Enough talk, it is time to act.
Will adding another $60M per annum to the $684.5M for the black spot campaign in 2021/22 really come to grips with this ongoing problem in 2018. In the words of Darren Chester MP when Minister of Transport, we are “too accepting” of these statistics, adding “we must find new ways to reduce fatalities and serious injuries”. Well, we have one here in East Gippsland !
Can we, the community continue to blame such aspects as the road itself, the weather conditions, the age or design of the vehicle etc., for the injury or death of a member of our own community? Is there something which can be done to prevent reduce or otherwise negate this terrible loss of life together with the pain and anguish of those injured mentally and physically? We must find the solution, it just may be on our doorstep.
Some actions are being taken by government which statistically can be proven to be effective in reducing this carnage, is it enough? Those passionate and forward thinking businesses who desperately seek advice, assistance and support to make a difference, and there are only a few, find it a hard road to travel, many give up along the way. SKIDZ (Strengthening Kidz Independent Driving Skillz) Driver Training of Bairnsdale is one who is still striving to make that difference with their educational programs. These new concepts must be supported.
We are dealing with lives being lost, family members being injured, others being traumatised for life, the next could be one of your family, one of your friends or workmates, or one of your community. Enough is enough.
So why am I writing this, am I qualified to write it, and what justification do I have to do so? I write hoping that someone with far more influence than me will listen and understand, will act now, and will support an active and ongoing project in our own region, not wait for something from the “big smoke” or government glass houses.
Writing also with a level of frustration seeing so much potential being dragged down by so much negativity and inept, misplaced bureaucratic red tape, frustrated, that in order to gain headlines a well-known personality has to lose their life. What about all the others?
Am I justified even qualified to write this?, I believe so. I have spent over 50 years on the road (both two wheels and four +), both here and overseas. I have pulled bodies from vehicle wrecks, collected body parts from the road surface, performed CPR for real, held a person’s hand as they died trapped in a car wreck. Spent many hours in hospital casualty wards dealing not only with the injured, but with their families, knocked on doors to telling a mother her son or daughter was killed in a car accident, indeed have had one of those occasions with local police telling me to get to a hospital without delay where a member of my family was in a “life threatening” condition. Last of all, I admit to being a “petrol head”. Does this qualify me to write this, you make the judgement.
So where is this way forward?, allow me to explain. First, I firmly believe that early education is the key to not only reducing youth road trauma, but also youth behaviour on the road, and, coincidentally this also has a positive effect on reducing alcohol/substance abuse and youth suicide. To be able to talk to our youth on their terms, at their level, (it is often much higher than you think), talk with them, not at them, and provide an outlet for them with set goal posts or parameters to act by and a venue to explore and gain experience provides for life long driver education. Teach them to drive not drive to get a licence. SKIDZ programs aim to do just that, getting a licence is only part of it.
The required minimum 120 hours of driving experience and the current L2P scheme was a start. But now over 15 years since the original “Drive 120” scheme was initiated in Sunbury, little more seems to have been done to extend real driver education and experience into schools. This is where it must be in order to have any lasting effect with our youth where it can and does have an effect. Curriculum based subjects in Years 10 and 11 are required.
Great work is being done, and inroads being made in young driver education at the Gippsland Motorplex operating from part of the Bairnsdale Aerodrome. SKIDZ Driver Training, a private local company is slowly gaining a foothold in the early education of our young drivers and using this location and its facilities. They save lives, they educate our youth.
Having successfully completed a pilot program at a local secondary school including real “in the car” experiences at the Gippsland Motorplex the feedback is very positive. This is a vital aspect of driver education, the young have to experience for themselves, like a “wet paint” sign, telling a young child “its hot”, they just have to experience it, touch it, feel it, THEN they understand. So it is with driving. This should be subsidised or fully funded for all students.
Why is it so hard for driver training facilities like the one at the “Motorplex” to gain advice, recognition, support and assistance with available funding. This is about saving lives, reducing debilitating pain and long term disability, and minimising mental trauma, not even considering any financial savings.
Gippsland Motorplex, hold regular events, Burn out pads, drag strips, dirt drags, tractor pulls and the like. “Hoons” I hear you say, perhaps so, but here they can “hoon” in a safe controlled environment, gain advice, be educated by example, make judgement calls and enjoy their vehicles in a competitive environment. With strict guidelines set for entrants, this has reduced “hoon” like behaviour on our local roads, it has assisted with the reduction in alcohol and substance abuse, and may, just may, have reduced the incidence of road deaths and youth suicide in our region.
Why is there no government funding/assistance for this project at any level? This site has been built by volunteers and public donation from businesses who see through the smoke to a clear road ahead. It is high time that governments at all levels came to realize the potential of this facility and the like, not only from a road trauma aspect, and one assisting our youth, but from an overall economic benefit aspect to the region.
Please pass this on, copy it, paste it, talk about it at home, at work, at schools, over coffee with friends. Chat over a round of golf, at your local service club, or sporting facility, even at the bar. Ask the questions of our local Councillors, our local Members, State and Federal, some have kids of driving age or close to. What direct funding can be put in place to upgrade and maintain this facility. No election promises here please, direct funding.
By raising real awareness we can achieve real action, real education, real understanding and perhaps then we can really reduce the level of trauma on our roads.
John Munns January 2018
Comment is the personal unpaid opinion of author gaining no advantage pecuniary or otherwise.
Sources: Nine Digital P/L: (Kate Kachor) Jan 2018.
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