158 people died on WA roads in 2023 and around 1,700 people are seriously injured each year.
Tragically, every one of these was someone’s loved one – a parent, a child, a sibling, a friend.
Clearly, not one of these events was planned.
We plan to be at work in time for a meeting.
We plan to go to a party.
We plan a leisurely weekend motorcycle ride.
But none of us plans a crash.
Whatever the journey, no one plans to kill or seriously injure ourselves or someone else when we leave the house. The fact is, however, if we don't consciously plan a safe journey, we may as well be planning an unsafe one.
Find out how making small changes to your driving behaviour can help make every journey safe.
The ‘No one plans a crash’ campaign highlights a number of everyday tragedies, each of which could have been avoided or had a lower impact if people had just followed some simple steps.
| Behaviour | Scenario | Avoiding the Outcome |
|---|
No seatbelt | The son is in a rush to get to basketball practice but can't find his water bottle. As he is running late, he speeds as he drives there to make up time. Caught up in the rush of the moment, he forgets to wear his seatbelt, crashing his car. | - He could have allowed more time to get ready for training to ensure he had enough time to pack.
- He could have allowed more time to drive to training, so he didn't feel the need to speed as he was running late. If he was running late, then be late – it’s better than being seriously injured or dead.
- He should have worn a seatbelt. Regardless of circumstance, he should have always buckled up – it only takes a second and could save your life.
|
Distraction | The daughter is getting ready for uni, complaining about her group assignment. She is distracted, paying little attention to her parents as she leaves, as she's more focused on her phone. On her drive to uni, she checks her messages whilst driving through an intersection, resulting in her crashing her car. | - She could have put her phone on driving mode, turned it off or put it on silent while driving, to ensure it didn't distract her. It might have only been a second or two, but if she glanced away, she was not looking at the road ahead.
- She should have focused on the task at hand: driving. Sometimes it can be difficult staying present but worrying about her assignment won’t change anything.
- She could have responded to any pressing messages before she got into the car to ensure it wouldn’t distract her while driving.
- She could have put her phone in the glove box or somewhere out of sight so she wouldn't be tempted to check it.
- She should have kept her attention on driving, even when stopped at lights or an intersection.
|
| Speeding - car | The parents are both running late for work and are quickly finishing chores around the house. Dad offers to drive mum if they leave immediately. They leave in a hurry and are frustrated with each other. Speeding in an attempt to make up time, they’re involved in a fatal crash. | - They both could have allowed more time to prepare their lunches and finish their chores before they left the house, so they weren’t stressed about being late for work.
- They should have stuck to the speed limit: 50km/h in built-up areas and signposted limits on other roads.
- Driving requires your full attention. They should have taken a moment before driving to refocus on the task instead of being derailed by time pressure. After all, being late isn’t the end of the world but being in a crash could have tragic consequences.
|
| Drink driving | Both kids are going to a party at night. Their dad offers to drop them there and pick them up, but they brush him off, saying he will be in bed before the party finishes. The son takes the keys to drive them there. As a result of the son drink driving, they are involved in a crash which claims the daughter’s life. As a result, the son is charged with manslaughter. | - They could have let their dad drop them off and pick them up, so they didn't feel the need to drive home after drinking.
- If they didn't want to wake their dad for a lift, they could have planned an alternative like ordering a rideshare, getting a lift with a friend, or staying the night at the house.
- One of the siblings could been the responsible designated driver and avoided drinking, rather than driving drunk or relying on another mode of transport.
|
| Speeding - motorbike | The daughter watches as her dad and brother get ready to go for a motorbike ride together. On their ride, the dad is speeding and misjudges a corner, fatally hitting a tree. | - The dad and son should have driven to the conditions and adjusted their speed as needed. This includes slowing down on sharp bends, in low visibility conditions and on roads with high pedestrian or vehicle traffic.
- Although bike checks were completed and the correct safety gear was worn, ultimately, not driving to the conditions and speeding resulted in a fatality.
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