QBE Insurance has rolled out a new road safety initiative that allowed South Australian children to take the driver’s seat in steering their parents to safer driving.
South Australia suffers highest road toll per capita in Australia, with 100 fatalities posted last year, a 16% rise from the previous year.
The SA road-safety awareness campaign, developed with Kilkenny Primary School students, from north-west Adelaide, encourage parents to change their driving behaviour in key areas including speed, aggressive driving, and mobile phone use.
To reinforce this change, South Australian parents are urged to sign a safe-driving pledge, now available to download at the QBE website, to serve as a constant reminder to be safe.
“Road safety through a child’s voice is one way every adult can be reminded the way they drive has a direct impact on the safety of their family,” said QBE CEO Vivek Bhatia. “Even small changes can make a difference. Let’s all slow down, keep our distance, and put our phones away – in the interests of our children and all South Australians on the road.”
Corey Wingard, South Australia’s minister for road safety, said parents are more likely to pay attention to road safety messages delivered by their children than they would from strangers.
“South Australia’s goal has got to be reduce our unacceptably high road toll, and children can play an important part in changing their parents’ dangerous driving habits,” Wingard said. “Last year 100 people lost their lives on our state’s roads in addition to 259 serious injuries, and so far this year, almost 50 people have died.”
