Mountains residents have been urged to tie a yellow ribbon to their cars next week to show their support for road safety.
The Safer Australian Roads and Highways (SARAH) Group is asking motorists to tie yellow ribbons to their vehicles for a week from Mother’s Day this Sunday to highlight the need to improve road safety across the state.
In a statement released on Monday, group spokesperson and Springwood resident Peter Frazer said this Mother’s Day would be a particularly difficult time for those mothers who have lost family members in road fatalities in the last year.
“With thousands of families affected by motor vehicle injuries and deaths, we need to take active steps to make our roads and highways safer,” he said.
“We are asking people to show their support by simply tying a yellow ribbon to a part of their vehicle that does not block the driver’s vision — such as a car aerial or bumper bar — for the week starting from Mother’s Day.
“All your mum really wants next Sunday is for her family to come home safely after travelling on our roads and highways.
“Driving around with that yellow ribbon flying will remind people that they need to be safe on our roads.”
The SARAH Group was formed following the deaths of 23-year-old Sarah Frazer and tow truck driver Geoff Clark on the Hume Highway on February 15, and a road safety petition started in the wake of the two deaths has attracted more than 20,000 signatures.
The petition will be presented to NSW Parliament on the three-month anniversary of the deaths on May 15, with the Frazer and Clark families, their friends and supporters, present as it is handed to Acting Premier Andrew Stoner.
“This Mother’s Day these two families will be grieving for the unnecessary loss of their loved ones at a time when they should have been celebrating with those very people,” Mr Frazer said.
“Their loss highlights the petition’s message that people who break down must no longer be left in harm’s way, and the NSW Parliament is in a position to address these dangers.
“Road crash statistics are not just numbers — these avoidable tragedies devastate the families and communities who are left to grieve the loss of loved ones.
“By tying a yellow ribbon to our vehicles in support of the SARAH Group campaign, we not only honour those who have been killed on our roads, but also remember that behind every road fatality there are mothers whose loved ones will never walk in the door again.”
The 20,000 signatures was achieved in only eight weeks and is more than twice that needed for the petition to be debated in parliament.
The petition has also received in-principle support from the Police Association of NSW, the NSW Fire Brigade Employees Union, the NSW Emergency Medical Services Personnel Association, the Motor Traders Association of NSW, the NRMA and Linfox Logistics.
The SARAH Group has received significant bipartisan support from state and federal MPs.
For a full list of supporters please see http://www.sarahgroup.org/the-petition/.