Latest News

All Victorian drivers approaching or passing a stationary emergency vehicle must slow to 40km/h, under a newly introduced VicRoads rule.

Under the new rule, a 40 km/h speed limit applies when passing a stationary police vehicle, emergency vehicle, enforcement vehicle or escort vehicle with flashing lights or sounding alarm, including:

• Police vehicles
• Ambulance Victoria vehicles
• Metropolitan Fire Brigade vehicles
• Country Fire Authority vehicles
• Forest Fire Management Victoria vehicles
• State Emergency Service vehicles
• Search and Rescue Services
• VicRoads Transport Safety Service vehicles
• Enforcement vehicles under the control of a state transport body including VicRoads, DEDJTR and Taxi Commission enforcement vehicles
• Other emergency patient transport vehicles with red and blue flashing lights.

Introduced to improve safety for emergency and enforcement workers, the new rule states drivers must slow down when approaching and passing the vehicle, and must not increase their speed until they are a safe distance from the scene, and does not apply to vehicles on the opposite side of a divided road separated by a median strip.
40km/h was designated as the maximum speed at which pedestrians are likely to survive vehicle impact.

Near misses

Incidents on Victorian roads place first responders and others involved at a high risk of being struck by passing vehicles or debris.
Near misses are common, with a survey of more than 1,600 emergency service and enforcement workers revealing that in the past three years:

• 17% had a near miss involving a passing vehicle on four or more occasions
• 3% had been injured while evading a passing vehicle
• 8% had their vehicle struck by a passing vehicle
• 23% of those involved in an incident had consequential mental health issues.

Anyone breaking the new rule is can be fined from $272.05 up to $777.30, with Victoria Police advising that its primary goal is to educate the community about safe speeds around incidents to prevent the death or serious injury of workers and others at the scene.

Too often we hear tragic stories of another young life being cut short in a car accident, yet any attempts to dramatically reduce the death toll are just not working.

This is according to University of the Sunshine Coast Research Fellow Bridie Scott-Parker, who shared in her article in “The Conversation” recently, who says that now is not the time to place blame but rather to focus on increased education and better systems.

Young male drivers are hardest hit, with male drivers aged 17 -24 making up just 12.7 per cent of all licence holders but accounting for 20.3 per cent of driver fatalities.

Shockingly, P-platers are four times more likely to be involved in a fatal road accident, with 45 per cent of all deaths of young people attributed to road accidents.

And, while there has been some reduction in the number of fatal accidents involving young people over the years, the focus needs to be on increased driver training and education for young drivers, as well as looking at the environment and behaviour of young drivers, including:

• • • What vehicle they drive
    • When they drive
    • How they drive
    • Why they drive
    • Responsibility

“Systems thinking is a radical approach in young driver road safety,” Ms Scott-Parker said, also commenting that most crashes can be understood as a failure in the system which should actually protect young drivers.

For example, a crash leading to a young person’s death can be related to factors at every level of the system, such as:

• • • Driving an older vehicle which has fewer crash-avoidance and crash-protection features on poorly maintained roads
    • Driving after drinking alcohol
    • Driving at night
    • Driving when parents are unaware of how they behave on the road now they have their own car and are licensed to drive independently
    • Whether there is public transport available

There is a general need for more information about who is out there, what they do, and how we can work together, Ms Scott-Parker said.
But we are signalling a new age in which we can radically improve young driver road safety, she said.

Happy New Year and welcome to the new-look Licencing the Wimmera newsletter.

We hope this newsletter will give you some extra information in regards to road rules and driving changes, as well as interesting articles and updates on what is happening at the Centre for Participation.

We had some changes take place during 2017 and Licencing the Wimmera is now a team of 2, with Padma Giri appointed as the Licencing the Wimmera Administration Officer while I remain the Licencing the Wimmera Coordinator.
Between the two of us we are in the office 5 days a week and are ready to roll!

Just like in 2017, our frontline team will continue to send out reminder text messages for your regular drives, but for any cancellations or changes in regular driving time, please contact Padma – please note texts can only be replied to via text.

If you would like to speak to Padma, please call the office on (03) 5382 5607 or email info@centreforparticipation.org.au.
Our office hours are Monday to Friday 8.30am – 5pm and texts are not answered after hours or on weekends.

I look forward to working with all of you, volunteers and learners alike, during 2018.

Your work as a volunteer is very much appreciated and makes an immense difference in the life of a young person trying to gain the mandatory driving experience to get their probationary licence, and we all know the importance of a licence, especially in rural areas like ours!

So, many thanks for your involvement.
If you have any questions, please ring or pop into the office for a coffee.

 

Workshops by Rob Jackson:

International volunteer leader, Rob Jackson, will be in Horsham on the 17 October 2017 to deliver two workshops that will benefit volunteer involving organisations around the region.  Registrations are now open.

Morning : Measuring Volunteering (9:30 am – 12:30 pm)

This workshop is about exploring the methods of measuring the impact that volunteers make to an organisation and to society. It will also include why we should measure and how that data can be used.

Afternoon : Developing Meaningful Roles for Volunteers (1pm – 4pm)

Developing roles for volunteers is an aspect of volunteer management that gets little attention compared to the more popular topics of recruitment and retention. Yet without well designed, meaningful and motivating volunteer roles, it is often much harder to get and keep volunteers. This workshop will provide a method – and outline the key issues to consider – for developing such volunteer roles.

Venue to be confirmed.

Cost : Member organisations will be able to have 2 people attend FREE of charge, for additional people and non-member organisations the cost is $40 per person per workshop or $60 for both workshops. Lunch is included.

Contact us to register for the above workshops.

 

 

 

 

 

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