Hervey Bay Taxi Services asks locals to sign pledge for safer roads

Hervey Bay Taxi Services is linking up with The Australian Road Safety Foundation in a bid to make local roads safer. See how to take the pledge here.

Hervey Bay Taxi Services is linking up with The Australian Road Safety Foundation next Friday, in a bid to make local roads safer and prevent vehicle incidents. See how to take the pledge here.

In the last 10 years, Queensland Crime Statistics show there has been nearly 5,000 traffic offences in Hervey Bay, with drink driving contributing to an alarming majority of them.

And now, a local taxi company is stepping out from behind the wheel to take a stand in a bid to make local roads safer.

Hervey Bay Taxi Services, partnering with The Australian Road Safety Foundation (ARSF), is taking on the Fatality Free Friday pledge on May 28.

Hervey Bay Taxi Services is linking up with The Australian Road Safety Foundation next Friday, in a bid to make local roads safer and prevent vehicle incidents.

The company will discuss their reasons for joining the pledge at the signing of an Australian Road Safety Foundation inflatable car at the Fraser Coast Cultural Centre Carpark, at 166 Old Maryborough Road in Pialba, from 10am.

This year will mark the 15th annual Fatality Free Friday as the initiative calls on individuals to choose road safety and demonstrate their commitment to reducing road trauma.

The pledge is a promise to:

• Always be fit to drive
• Stay focused on the road
• Always drive responsibly and in a way which suits road conditions

Hervey Bay Taxi Services General Manager Deanne Lollback is urging locals to also sign the pledge.

Hervey Bay Taxi Services General Manager Deanne Lollback said she recognised the company’s “responsibility to help raise awareness” of road safety.

“We are committed to providing safe transport services in around the region, but we also encourage the wider community to consciously think about their road-related behaviours, because everyone has a role to play in creating safer roads,” Ms Lollback said.

ARSF founder and CEO Russell White is backing Ms Lollback, noting care on roads is not solely in the hands of taxi services.

ARSF founder and CEO Russell White agreed a community-wide approach was necessary to make an impact.

“Individuals have a responsibility to make the right choices when using the roads, and its imperative they understand the devastating consequences their choices can have not just on other road users, but on the wider community,” Mr White said.

“The impact of road trauma is far-reaching and does not discriminate.

“Road users also need to understand the impact on families, friends, schools, workplaces, first responders and emergency services.”

To take the pledge, visit here.

Originally published as Hervey Bay Taxi Services asks locals to sign pledge for safer roads