NATIONAL ROAD SAFETY WEEK

Ms JENNY AITCHISON (Maitland—Minister for Regional Transport and Roads) (15:24): I congratulate you, Madam Deputy Speaker, on your new role. Next week marks the official start of National Road Safety Week, which runs from 14 to 21 May and is an annual initiative of the Safer Australian Roads and Highways—the SARAH group—and aims to highlight the impact of road trauma and ways to reduce it. The SARAH group was launched by Peter Frazer, OAM, after the tragic loss of his daughter, Sarah, at a road crash in Sydney's south in 2012. Each year New South Wales road users take the pledge to "drive so others survive". The safety messages for National Road Safety Week extend to regional New South Wales, which is particularly important with country roads making up 67 per cent of our State's road toll. Community events will be held across regional New South Wales and local landmarks will be lit up for the week, including the Big Merino in Goulburn and the Kiama Lighthouse. Any death on our roads is one too many, which is why we are all committed to our goal of reducing road trauma to zero in New South Wales. I urge everyone in this House to make the pledge: Drive so others survive.