Road Rules Awareness Week (February 24 – March 2) has been and gone for another year.
The initiative, organised by the Centre for Road Safety (New South Wales), is designed to educate people about "commonly encountered and misunderstood road rules" in an effort to prevent car accident injuries from occurring.
As it stands, 66 people have died on New South Wales roads this year. In 2012, the road toll was only at 50 people at the beginning of March.
Clearly there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in order to get drivers from A to B without suffering a car injury themselves or harming other road users.
The Centre for Road Safety has done its bit to keep the road toll down by launching a series of online videos to help drivers brush up on the road rules. These cover the basics, such as how to make your way around a roundabout and what speed to use in school zones, as well as some of the more complicated road rules.
"Speed limits, stop signs, no right turn, no entry … There are regular reminders of some rules on the road, but for some other rules it is useful to get the occasional refresher," said Centre for Road Safety General Manager Marg Prendergast in a February 24 statement.
For example, did you know that a driver turning left or right at an intersection is required to give way to any pedestrian that happens to be crossing the road they're entering? Or that you must drive at least 3 seconds behind the vehicle in front of you?
Ms Prendergast was quick to point out that it's not only drivers that need to be aware of the road rules and explained that all road users – whether they're motorcyclists, pedestrians or cyclists – need to obey them.
She added that cycling is becoming an "increasingly popular" pastime in New South Wales, so "it's more important than ever for all drivers, particularly those driving larger vehicles, to keep an eye out for bikes and consider cyclist safety".
"Those embracing pedal power also have a big part to play, by riding sensibly and predictably and obeying road rules such as stopping at red lights."
If you've been involved in a car accident in New South Wales and feel you might be eligible for injury compensation, get in touch with the car accident compensation lawyers at Gerard Malouf Partners today.