Last week the NSW government released its Road Safety Plan which includes measures aimed at reducing the road toll after 392 people lost their lives on NSW roads in 2017.
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The comprehensive package addresses speeding, drink driving, drug driving, driver distraction, driver fatigue, truck safety and funding to improve safety on country roads.
Every 41 minutes in NSW, someone is either killed or seriously injured on our roads. As a government we know we can do more, which is why this plan makes it clear – if you break the law you will be caught and will pay the price.
The measures include: - Expanding the mandatory alcohol interlock program to include all mid-range drink driving offenders. An interlock is a breath test device whereby the driver must provide a negative sample for the vehicle to start; - Police will be able to issue on the spot fines and licence suspensions for low range drink driving; - Amending legislation to allow camera technology to enforce mobile phone offences; - 11 extra heavy vehicle average speed camera sites, including in metropolitan Sydney, to address risks associated with greater truck movements; - An initial $125 million for a new Saving Lives on Country Roads program including safety barriers, tactile line markings, wide centre line, safety upgrades of high risk curves and $11 million for pedestrian and cyclist safety including traffic calming measures, pedestrian refuges and crossings.
These measures are in addition to last month’s crack down on drug drivers, which saw cocaine added to the list of drugs subject to roadside testing, and the number of roadside drugs tests doubled from 100,000 to 200,000 a year by 2020.
This will bring the government’s total commitment to targeted road safety programs from the Community Road Safety Fund to $1.4 billion over five years. To view the Plan go to towardszero.nsw.gov.au/roadsafetyplan