The power of partnerships

This paper will be presented in partnership with the NSW Police Service, an integral player in local behavioural road safety initiatives in the Tamworth area. This paper will examine the incredible power of positive partnerships and the valuable road safety outcomes that can be achieved at a community level by working in this way. Two local road safety initiatives will highlight the vital processes involved and illustrate the importance of a strategic approach to the development of local road safety campaigns.

The Tamworth Road Safety Committee, made up of key stakeholders, community members and the media, was established to bring a community flavour and innovative approach to road safety issues through the development of campaigns featuring local identities and familiar environments.

This partnership has seen the development of local campaigns, “Speed and It?ll Cost you”, a youth speed campaign designed to support a sustained reduction in young driver speeding behaviour and “Buckle Up EveryTime”, a local seatbelt initiative designed to improve the seatbelt wearing rates amongst local residents. Both programs grew from a need to address local problems which identified youth speeding along with an alarming increase in the number of local residents involved in fatal crashes where failure to wear a seatbelt was the major contributing factor. Both initiatives found their success in the strength of the partnership and the synergies created as a result of sharing skills and resources.