Media Releases

Monday 9th April, 2007
Fatality Free Friday - Drive to Stay Alive on May 25

Wouldn't it be wonderful if this year we remembered Memorial Day Weekend for all those who didn't die on our roads?”

Fatality Free Friday is in collaboration with the first United Nations Global Road Safety Week (April 23-29) and represents a fresh approach in dealing with what is a complex issue. The day is designed to focus public attention on road safety and encourage all road users to think and drive safely.

YOU can do something to help!

This year marks our first Fatality Free Friday, May 25 to raise awareness throughout the United States and have zero fatalities for 24 hours.

Our goal is to ensure that there are no road crash fatalities in Las Vegas during Friday, May 25th, 2007 – and to raise awareness right across the USA to minimize the road toll throughout the nation on that day.

Why start in Las Vegas? Nevada’s traffic fatality rate in 2005 was 42 percent higher than the national traffic fatality rate in 2005 of 1.45.
[Source: http://www.tripnet.org/state/NevadaPressRelease031507.pdf]

Fatality Free Friday is a call to action that will serve as a platform for a targeted and ongoing approach to road safety through a mass media campaign and community involvement.

TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE – but we need to act NOW.

Each year 1.2 million people die worldwide in road fatalities, around 43,000 of those die on America's roads. For every death, an average of 10 people are injured.

Road safety is a complex issue but we believe that if drivers consciously think about road safety and safe driving for just one Friday in the year, that day's toll could be reduced to zero.

Our aim? Not a single road death in Las Vegas for just one day. Just one Fatality Free Friday - and we further hope that by making people think about staying alive on the road on Friday 25 May 2007, they'll drive safer for the next few days as well and reduce the traditionally high weekend fatality rate over the Memorial Day weekend.

Who knows? Perhaps drivers can keep thinking safety each and every Friday and we won't just save lives on May 25 but on many more days too.

Australian Founder of the event and leading road safety expert, Russell White explains, “If we can drive to stay alive for just one day, then perhaps we can start thinking consciously about driving safely every day of the year,” he said. “The UN recognizes the fact that road traffic injuries and deaths are a major global health problem,” commented Mr White.

Fatality Free Friday is the platform for a targeted, ongoing approach to road safety through a mass media campaign and community involvement.

Visit our website – www.fatalityfreefriday.org - for information about staying safe on our roads. We encourage you to organize road safety events in your own community and make a difference!

The website also contains copies of the pledge for adults, children and companies to print out and sign to show their commitment to the day for your own campaigns, as well as a guestbook that allows visitors to take the pledge online.

# ends

27 February 2007
Australians urged to take a road safety pledge

Australians are being urged to ‘take the pledge’ on 27 April but it’s not a promise to give up drinking – it’s a promise to ‘drive to stay alive’.

The date is the first ‘Fatality Free Friday’, which aims to see a zero road toll for 24 hours, and people are being asked to sign a pledge to concentrate on safe driving and road use for the day.

Event organiser and leading road safety expert Russell White hopes it will become an annual event.

“If we can drive to stay alive for just one day, then perhaps we can start thinking consciously about driving safely every day of the year,” he said.

Fatality Free Friday coincides with the first United Nations Global Road Safety Week from 23-29 April.

“The UN recognises the fact that road traffic injuries and deaths are a major global health problem, “said Mr White.

“In Australia, around 1600 people die every year on the roads. A zero road toll for one Friday would, statistically, save five to six lives.

“It doesn’t sound a lot but it would be a great start.”

A special website – www.fatalityfreefriday.com - has been set up to provide information for adults and children about staying safe on the roads and also encourage people to organise road safety events in their own community.

The website also contains copies of the pledge for adults, children and companies to print out and sign to show their commitment to the day, as well as guestbook that allows visitors to take the pledge online.

Mr White, a driver trainer for more than 16 years, has contributed to state government policy on training and licensing requirements for young drivers.

He has also taken part in groundbreaking research with Queensland's Griffith University on mobile phone use and driver stability.

He said while advances in road design and vehicle safety have made a significant contribution to reducing the road toll, a vital piece of the puzzle is still missing.

“I believe this is a combination of training and attitude,” he said.

“Fatality Free Friday represents a fresh approach in dealing with what is a complex issue. By focusing public attention on road safety for one specific day, I hope to encourage all road users to think and drive safely all year round.”

#Ends