RAC is welcoming an announcement today by the WA Liberals that they will commit funding to deliver the $900 million Regional Road Safety Program over four years if elected.
RAC General Manager Corporate Affairs Will Golsby said it’s fantastic to see this commitment to reducing deaths and serious injuries on WA’s regional roads.
“We’re pleased to see the WA Liberals prioritising road safety in our regional communities by committing to funding the $900 million Regional Road Safety Program,” Mr Golsby said.
“If delivered in full, the program will see life-saving road upgrades, such as rumble strips and widened road shoulders, rolled out across 17,000kms of roads throughout regional WA — preventing thousands of serious and fatal crashes.”
Last year, 155 people tragically lost their lives on WA’s roads. Sixty per cent of those fatalities once again occurred in regional areas. Thousands more were seriously injured.
“The Regional Road Safety Program will go a long way to reducing the unacceptable level of road trauma that occurs in regional WA every year, through low-cost road upgrades that will stop crashes before they happen.”
Apart from the immeasurable personal and social impacts, the financial cost of road trauma to the State’s economy is estimated to be $2.4 billion per year.
“These are affordable commitments which can be delivered quickly. They are also scalable and will create significant employment and training opportunities from the outset and inject much needed investment into communities throughout the State.”
RAC also welcomes the WA Liberal’s commitment of $40 million to build overtaking lanes and $20 million for improved roadside amenities for truck drivers.
Download RAC’s 2021 State Election priorities.
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RAC Media Contact: Rhys Heron, 0401 703 719 or media@rac.com.au
