About Fatality Free Friday

Road Safety is a global issue that ranks as one of the most pressing matters facing society today. The social, economic and emotional costs are immense and these figures are poised to increase unless something is done, NOW.

While advances in road design and vehicle safety have no doubt made a significant contribution to road safety, it is clear that a vital piece of the puzzle is still missing because the fatalities continue.

Fatality Free Friday represents a fresh approach in dealing with what is a complex issue. The day will be an annual event designed to focus public attention on road safety and encourage all road users to think and drive safely.

Our goal is to ensure that there are no road crash fatalities in Las Vegas during the day. It is a call to action that will serve as a platform for a targeted and ongoing approach to road safety. The campaign will facilitate this via media and community involvement. You can make a difference.

The concern regarding Road Safety is well documented.

It is possibly best summarised in a report tabled by the Select Committee of the House of Lords in London, it reads:

“The holocaust on the roads today is nothing short of appalling but it seems to be comprehended by the public in general with complacency. To achieve even a reduction in the number of road accidents raises issues of great complexity. The most important factors are the education of all road-users in road behaviour and segregation of road users – motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.”

It is clear that this statement identified the real core of the issue. However, you may find it interesting to know that these words were spoken back in 1939. One could argue that the situation hasn’t changed much since then.

Currently, around 1.2 million people are killed each year in road crashes around the world. That equates to more than 3000 people a week. In the United States, 43,000 people die on our roads each year(1). In Australia, where Fatality Free Friday originated, the road toll is around 1600 to 1700 road fatalities and for every death approximately 10 people are injured(2). These figures are shocking and highlight the need for urgent action. This situation is not acceptable and the road toll should not be accepted as inevitable.

	"Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities - always see them, for they're always there." - Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, 1898-1993, author of The Power of Positive Thinking

Fatality Free Friday will coincide with the first United Nations Global Road Safety Week. The week will represent a unique opportunity to raise community awareness on road trauma. The key messages for the week are:

• Road traffic injuries are a major global public heath and development problem. Their magnitude is expected to rise considerably in the years ahead.
• Road traffic injuries greatly impact upon young lives.
• Road traffic injuries can be prevented
• Road safety is no accident.
• International cooperation is crucial to strengthening national road safety efforts.

We support these objectives and Fatality Free Friday aims to provide assistance in achieving this global philosophy.

Won't you join us? Check out our section on What You Can Do and let’s work together on the roads to make Friday May 25 2007 a Fatality Free Friday.

(1) DataSource: Temporal factors in motor vehicle crash deaths, C M Farmer and A F Williams, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Arlington, Virginia, USA. (US population 300 million)
(2) DataSource: Australian Transport Safety Bureau. (Australian population 20 million)