City of Coffs Harbour Council’s ‘Slow the f*st down’ road safety initiative is going out with a banger of a message: ‘Don’t be a rubbish driver’.
Fourteen Coffs Coast Waste Services trucks will carry signage promoting the safe speed messaging – providing a highly visible reminder to road users to be mindful.
“Exceeding the speed limit or driving too fast for the conditions can have traffic consequences,” said Mayor, Nikki Williams.
“The statistics tell us that speeding is a significant issue here in Coffs – and it’s one we are trying to address through public education.”
The garbage trucks with the ‘Slow the f*st down’ messaging operate in the Coffs Harbour, Bellingen and Nambucca Valley local government areas (LGAs).
“This is the last part of our year-long campaign to improve local driver behaviours,” said Council Infrastructure Director, Andrew Beswick.
“We’re also looking at another run of free bumper stickers which this time will also be available for pick-up in Nambucca and Bellingen, plus some fixed metal safety signage at Moonee and Sandy Beach which are known speeding hot spots.”
The ‘Slow the f*st down’ initiative was rolled out in November last year and included wrapped bus advertising, roadside signage and promotion on social and traditional media channels.
At the launch, Sergeant Jarrod Langan from the Coffs Harbour Highway Patrol noted men aged between 30 and 60 had been identified as a target group in Coffs for speeding offences.
“Coffs/Clarence Police District continues to have the highest speed detections in North Region, and speed continues to be a major contributing factor in injury and fatal crashes,” Sgt Langan said.
“Police at Coffs/Clarence will continue to target drivers who place themselves and others at risk. Drivers should not exceed the speed limit and also drive at an appropriate speed for the road conditions.”
Working with The George Institute for Global Health, Coffs was one of seven LGAs – a mix of metro and regional – to secure Federal funding to come up with a tailored road safety campaign.
“The ‘Slow the f*st down’ initiative was designed to catch attention. It’s important that we all pause and think about driving at a safe speed,” Mr Beswick said.
A small increase in speed can make a big difference to whether you can stop in time.
As your speed goes up:
- Your stopping distance increases;
- The impact of a crash becomes more severe; and
- The chance of death or serious injury rises sharply.
Many serious crashes happen on everyday 50-60kph roads like the majority of streets in the Coffs Harbour LGA.
“No matter what causes a crash, speed has a direct relationship to the severity of every crash and we all need to be very mindful of that,” Mayor Williams said.
The Education and awareness for safe speeds in communities project was funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.
