Round 14 of the TIO NTFL season has been renamed the “Road
Safety Round” to raise awareness amongst high risk drivers of the need to heed
road safety advice.
Sponsored by TIO and supported by NT Police, Fire and
Emergency Services, St John Ambulance and NT Road Safety, the NTFL Road Safety
Day will bring together players, supporters and spectators to consider the
issues of road safety.
“The football community across the Top End have lost
numerous members due to road accidents and AFLNT along with NTFL clubs fully
support the efforts of TIO who have been long standing supporters of the NTFL
for many years.”
Chief Executive Richard Harding said that TIO was dedicated
to improving road safety in the Territory.
“Each year we see on average 50 people killed on NT roads
and nearly 500 seriously injured requiring hospitalisation,” Mr Harding said.
“Drivers under 25 years are 3 times more likely to be killed
or seriously injured, the cost of these young lives, along with the pain and
anguish to friends and families, is significant.
“TIO’s sponsorship of the NTFL and in particular the Road Safety
Round, is aimed at creating awareness and reinforcing the messages about road
safety to a high risk, novice male drivers audience and the wider community.
“TIO asks young
drivers to be aware of their choices and know the consequences,” he said.
Tiwi Bombers Captain Shane Tipuamantimirri who works with Indigenous
youth at Tiwi College says it is shattering to see the effect of preventable
car accident deaths.
“The impact is not only on the victim and his family but
also the extended family and community,” he said.
Shane Tipuamantimirri said the islanders, as in most remote
areas, have to negotiate very poor road conditions for most of the year.
“I can only beg everyone
who drives to belt up.”
The NTFL Road Safety Day will target high risk drivers
directly through fully integrated education and public awareness activities
focussing on the risks of road safety and the choices and consequences all drivers face.
All under 18 teams have been scheduled to play at TIO
Stadium on the day and will attend Road
Safety Awareness sessions to discuss road safety and hear first hand from the
organisations that deal with road trauma and its consequences.
Both teams in the Palmerston Magpies v
Tiwi Bombers Premier League Game will wear the “seatbelt” customised Guernseys
and the umpires will wear “Seatbelts save lives” shirts for all matches
throughout the day.
While seatbelts are a significant causal
and compounding factor in road crashes they are not the only factor, the Road
Safety day will address the breadth of road safety messages.
A range of spectator Road Safety Awareness
activities will be held at half time as well YouTube live streaming of the
second premier games, road safety messages on the big screen, Hector the Cat, Emergency
vehicle displays and TIO’s drink driving party safe program.
“This will be a big day of football, with a very big message,”
TIO CEO Richard Harding said.
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