Did you know you’re five times more likely to be killed on country roads than in the city? During 2016, 254 people lost their lives on NSW country roads. In fact, somebody is killed or seriously injured in a crash in the country every 85 minutes. In Dubbo and Mudgee alone, 12 people died in car crashes in 2016.
To promote safer driving, the NSW government has signed a 2-year partnership with Australia’s rugby league bodies:
- National Rugby League (NRL)
- NSW Rugby League (NSWRL)
- Country Rugby League (CRL).
What is the connection between rugby league and driving?
Community
The government says country people love league. Because they tend to be tightly knit communities, everyone suffers when somebody dies in a road crash. Its Knock-on Effect campaign uses much-loved league heroes to influence people. It urges drivers to take more care with themselves as well as consider the effect on their local community.
The NRL Country Roadshow visited schools and communities in Sydney, Bathurst, Orange and then Mudgee, for the City v Country match in early May. At half time, there was a special tribute to people who lost their lives on country roads.
Same tragedy
The Knock-on Effect is a campaign specifically targeted at people in the country. Of course, drivers in the cities make the same mistakes, such as driving too fast, having too much to drink or just being too tired to drive.
The way this affects friends and families when somebody dies or is seriously injured, is tragically the same.
your opinion matters: