Drivers are being urged to stay safe on the roads this holiday season, with two road safety exhibits on display on either side of the Western Highway in Ararat.
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Motorists can view models of two crumbled cars as they leave and exit Ararat, with an electronic sign warning them of the road toll and to stay safe on the roads.
The displays are quite graphic, with one featuring a motorcycle partially lodged in the windscreen of a car.
The project is an initiative from Ararat Police who have been running it for “about 13 years”.
Ararat Sergeant Shane Allgood said each year they try to change the display to drive the message home strongly.
“It is a visual reminder of people using the highway to keep safety in mind,” he said.
“We introduced the motorcycle to get the point across strongly.”
The exhibit coincides with a state government and Transport Accident Commission campaign around road safety this summer.
The campaign’s focus of death knocks highlights the worst part of any police officer’s job, delivering tragic news to loved ones of people killed in road crashes.
It will feature in various forms of media over the coming months. The campaign was developed to remind people about the tragic outcomes of risk-taking behaviour on the roads and urges people to think about the ripple effect of the choices we make.
23 people died on Victorian roads from the start of December to Christmas Day last year, and six people lost their lives between Christmas and the New Year.
“This campaign lays bare the door knock that no family member wants to receive and no police officer wants to make,” Roads, Road Safety and the TAC minister Jaala Pulford said.
Sergeant Allgood said fatigue, alcohol, drugs and speed are key issues police will be cracking down on in the coming months.
“It might take a display like that for someone who is a bit tired to pull over and rest, someone who is speeding to slow down or someone who might think about drink driving to stop,” he said.
”We will have a zero tolerance attitude towards offences over the holiday period. Hopefully we can help curb the road toll and keep people safe on the roads.”
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