ROAD SAFETY PROGRAM - DON'T DRIVE LIKE A DEMON
28/04/2010
An innovative road safety program aimed at young sports people has been launched with the support of several of Melbourne Football Club’s rising stars, who will be ambassadors for the ‘Don’t Drive Like a Demon’ program.
Representing a partnership between the Mornington Peninsula and Nepean Football League (MPNFL), ConnectEast (the owner and operator of EastLink), RoadSafe Outer South East, and the Melbourne Football Club, the MPNFL EastLink Road Safety Program is targeted specifically at young footballers and netballers.
Trained facilitators, with the help of a DVD featuring AFL players Tom Scully, Nathan Jones and Matthew Bate, as well as Melbourne Vixens and Australian netball champion Bianca Chatfield, and Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Ken Lay, will raise awareness amongst young drivers about the risks and consequences of dangerous driving.
The MPNFL EastLink Road Safety Program uses sport as the vehicle to spread the word directly to players at their clubrooms – without lecturing them – through practical demonstrations, EastLink CCTV footage and discussion about tunnel safety, sharing the road and driver concentration.
‘Don’t Drive Like a Demon’ is Phase 3 of the MPNFL EastLink Road Safety Program which began in 2008 and is supported by Victoria Police, CFA, SES, the RACV and several local councils in Melbourne’s south-east.
Road safety is a compelling issue in Melbourne's outer east and south-east. Four of the top seven municipalities for road deaths in Victoria are located in or near this region, with drivers aged between 18 and 25 over-represented in road accident statistics.
The three-year MPNFL EastLink program provides clubs and players with the information to make good road safety decisions and to become leaders in positive decision-making. The Phase 3 ‘Don’t Drive Like A Demon’ Program will be delivered to 32 football and netball clubs and over 4,000 players and officials.
The first session is due to be held at Sorrento Football Club on 4 May.
“Melbourne Football Club is delighted to provide six of our players – Tom Scully, Nathan Jones, Matthew Bate, Daniel Bell, Michael Newton and Ricky Petterd – as Road Safety Ambassadors for the program,” said Melbourne FC Football Manager Chris Connolly.
ConnectEast Managing Director, Dennis Cliche, said the EastLink operator was proud to support such a targeted and worthwhile road safety program.
“As the operator of one of Melbourne’s busiest roads, safe driving is of paramount concern to ConnectEast, and we are pleased to be associated with a number of high profile road safety advocates in delivering this program,” Mr Cliche said.
“Since opening in mid-2008, EastLink has established an excellent safety record due to a combination of world-class road design, sophisticated technology systems and a rapid on-road incident response capability.”
EastLink has had around one third of the rate of accidents resulting in injury experienced on comparable urban freeways in Victoria and about one fifth of the rate of casualty accidents on nearby arterial roads such as Springvale and Stud Roads.
ConnectEast’s commitment to safe driving is further highlighted by its support of a range of local road safety initiatives along with a recent agreement with safety consultants, the ARRB Group, to co-operate on road safety and other operational road research matters.
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