A horror weekend on WA roads and two more deaths today has put the state on track for its worst road toll in more than a decade. Most of the 175 people killed in accidents so far this year have died on regional roads. The people who deal with road trauma say a cultural change is needed to reverse the growing trend.
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00:00First responders will remember 2024 as one of the worst for fatal road accidents.
00:08Week after week, they've witnessed the deadly trauma caused by bad decisions.
00:14Any time there is a death or fatality due to road trauma within our small communities,
00:19the effect is quite profound on the whole community.
00:21There's probably a lot of people who think this will never happen to them.
00:26It does, it happens to normal people every single day of the week.
00:30In the wake of seven fatalities over the weekend,
00:33first responders say there's a simple way everyone can help to reduce road trauma.
00:38How we make change is by people having conversations around the kitchen table,
00:43around the workbench, down at sport or whatever.
00:48And the best people to have a conversation with are those most at risk.
00:52Everyone knows people that are susceptible to either being a hoon driver
00:57or putting themselves at risk of doing risky behaviours.
01:01Most causes of road trauma are preventable.
01:04It is lack of paying attention through distractions such as phones or other people in the car.
01:10An incentive for all road users to make good decisions before and after they get into a vehicle.
01:17Everyone has skin in the game in this.
01:20Slow down, pay attention, make sure you're well rested and avoid drugs and alcohol.
01:25The best way to avoid becoming part of a tragic toll.