Minister warns of walking risk

MINISTER for Roads Duncan Gay announced a new campaign on older pedestrian safety.

Minister Gay said that the campaign was designed to get older people to adopt four key behaviours.

“Older pedestrians should plan their trip so they take the safest route, wait for vehicles to stop before stepping on to the road, look both ways before crossing the road and use marked crossings and other pedestrian facilities where available.”

According to the Minister, between 2006 and 2010, two out of every five pedestrians killed or injured on NSW roads were aged 60 or older.

Is this a spike? We don’t know – that’s the only information used in the press release to justify the campaign.

CPSA thinks that the Minister has missed the real point of concern – the three out of every five pedestrians killed or injured who are under the age of 60.

What about them? They’re in the majority of accidents. 

Shouldn’t the Minister be launching a campaign to target that group as well? Why restrict it to the 60s and over?

And Minister, what’s happening with the Coalition’s election commitment to abolish the Older Driver test?