Focus on rural road safety

Published 11:31am 13 August 2020

With rural road crashes accounting for more than 65 per cent of the Australian road toll, there’s a sharp focus on drivers during Rural Road Safety Month. Here’s some tips for staying safe.

During the month of August, Queensland Police Service is running a ‘leave the lights on’ road safety campaign for drivers to always drive with their lights on, when using rural roads.

Moreton District Crime Prevention Unit Officer-in-Charge Sergeant Sarah Grayson says the message is key to drivers on rural roads, but also those in other areas.

“By leaving your headlights on, you’re more likely to be seen by other road users than if you don’t have your lights on,” Sgt Grayson says.

But make sure you’re driving with the correct lights on, or you might get in strife.

“Fog lights and driving lights are often confused and can be dazzling to other road users. You’re not supposed to be driving with these on all the time,” she says.

Normal headlights are OK.

“Anything to help get other motorists’ attention is a good thing,” Sgt Grayson says.

“I worked out west for a long time and we told people to do this because it makes you more visible to other road users. It isn’t just for rural areas.”

What is Rural Road Safety Month?

The Australian Road Safety Foundation says Rural Road Safety Month is a national awareness campaign targeting regional and rural road safety.

It’s a chance for everyone to be involved in making the roads safer by changing our own driving behaviour and even promoting it in our communities or online.

The foundation is encouraging local road safety advocates, communities, schools, sporting groups and workplaces to support the month through hosting local events or sharing road safety information among staff, students, colleagues, family and friends.

You can even make a pledge to #Choose Road Safety.

It’s an important message, with the rate of serious road-related injury among residents in rural areas is nearly twice that of those in major cities.