Coroner's Finding: State Growth response to Coroners report recommendations 2016 TasCD

Department of State Growth

ROAD USER SERVICES 4 Salamanca Place, Hobart TAS 7001 GPO Box 536, Hobart TAS 7001 Australia Email info@stategrowth.tas.gov.au Web www.stategrowth.tas.gov.au Coroners Court Tasmania 27 Liverpool Street

HOBART, TASMANIA, 7000 Email Coroners.Hbt@justice.tas.gov.au Dear Coroner I write in response to the Coroner’s report recommendations on the death of Brittany Kate Goss (2016

TASCD 011).

The Coroner’s recommendations included:  an education/awareness program encouraging parents to collect children from the bus stop side to minimise risks to children  consideration given to whether justification exists to extend the ‘flashing light on school buses’ speed limitation to all buses operating on rural roads  an awareness program that includes consideration of the higher risk factors involved in traffic crashes, ie 15-19 year old age group, Friday, July and between 3-7pm being highest risk categories  consideration given to the reduction of urban speed limits.

After the incident in 2014, the Department of State Growth (State Growth) undertook a traffic investigation of the site. It found there was already a pedestrian warning sign approximately 200 metres prior to the crash location, and there had been no other reported crashes involving pedestrians. The roadside vegetation was cut back to improve forward sight lines. Whilst the speed limit was not reduced, the consideration of reduced speed limits in different areas around Tasmania is ongoing. For example, the speed limits in Launceston will be reduced to 50 km/h in a cluster of streets around Launceston College and Queen Victoria Museum in the near future. The ‘flashing light on school buses’ speed limitation was also considered by multiple stakeholders, including State Growth and the Tasmanian Bus Association, in relation to all buses, and at that stage it was determined the extension of the limitation to all buses was not required.

State Growth and the Road Safety Advisory Council (RSAC) have committed to delivering and funding multiple initiatives, campaigns and road safety education programs to raise community awareness of road safety and reduction of road trauma under the Towards Zero – Tasmanian Road Safety Strategy 2017-2026 and the Towards Zero Action Plan 2017-2019 and Towards Zero Action Plan 2020-2024. The department’s public education program focuses on the ‘fatal five’ contributors to road trauma, and vulnerable road users, including young people. State Growth and RSAC also cover key messages in road safety, including for pedestrians, via Road Torque, editorials, media releases, social media and ongoing campaigns. The following are examples of initiatives and campaigns which have been implemented in bus and pedestrian safety, especially for young people:  RACT “Ready for the Road” and “RoadSafe” programs – since 2018, RACT has been funded to deliver a number of education programs to students on safety around schools, the dangers of distraction, and being safe on the road. The Ready for the Road program includes topics on the dangers of distraction and pedestrian safety and is delivered to high school students. The RoadSafe program was co-designed with State Growth staff from the Road Safety branch for Year 3 and 4 students. It includes a pedestrian component with in-built key messages regarding pedestrian safety, with links to road safety videos, as below. Both programs and learning resources are available to students through face-to-face sessions and online.

https://www.ract.com.au/community/our-learning-centre/high-school-students-hub/driving-withoutdistractions https://www.ract.com.au/community/our-learning-centre/primary-school-students-hub/ract-roadsafe  Road Torque – a series of videos presented by the Road Safety Advisory Council, which cover a range of safety topics including the following examples: o Winter driving tips, including typical winter weather in Tasmania, driving to the conditions, and car safety checks: (1343) Road Torque 2022 - Episode 2 - Winter Driving Tips - YouTube o School buses as mobile school zones, the need to consider pedestrian safety after students leave the bus, and parents need to pick up their children from the bus stop side of the road: (1343) Road Torque 2020 – Episode 5 – School Buses - YouTube o Paying attention, especially when driving in the dark and on rural roads, and around pedestrians, especially children (‘Always Pay Attention’, 2019); collaborated with RACT and included in the RACT Dangers of Distraction learning program: (1343) Road Torque 2019 - Always Pay Attention - YouTube o Student understanding of road safety, including pedestrian safety (‘EP3 Kids Classroom’, 2018); collaborated with RACT and included in the RACT RoadSafe program: (1343) Road Torque 2018 EP3 Kids Classroom - YouTube  Bus safety – all school buses are considered mobile school zones, ie they have flashing lights which automatically turn on when the doors open and students leave the bus, and motorists must slow down to 40km/h or less; parents are advised to pick up their child on the bus stop side of the street. State Growth has also ensured all messages and campaigns only show images of bus passengers or pedestrians being picked up from the same side of the road to the bus stop.

 RSAC Pedestrian safety campaign – key messaging about staying alert as drivers and pedestrians; includes a video for motorists to be aware of pedestrians crossing the road: https://www.rsac.tas.gov.au/road-users/pedestrians-2/  Love 40 campaign: this campaign has highlighted the risks for children and the need for motorists to be vigilant in school zones, driving at or below 40km/h and around school buses with their lights flashing. The ‘Love 40’ campaign started in 2019 through a targeted campaign leveraging back to school campaigns and media events, and using social media, television, radio, mobile billboards, and via the Road Safety Advisory Council’s (RSAC) website: https://www.rsac.tas.gov.au/campaign/love-40/  Smart Stop initiative: a joint initiative between State Growth, the Tasmanian Bus Association, RSAC and Metro Tasmania. The Smart Stop initiative promotes road users to work together to encourage children to Stop, Look, Listen and Think, ie Stop back from the kerb – Look right, look left, then look right again – Listen for vehicles approaching – Think where or not it is safe to cross. The education campaign involved a suite of communication and education strategies and resources aimed at improving the safety of students, including: o key safety messages that bus drivers, schools and parents can convey to students as they embark on and disembark the bus and increasing public awareness of safer travel speeds, as vehicles must ‘slow to 40km/h when lights flash’ on a school bus o a school bus safety website which provides important safety information through interactive online games, quiz, craft ideas and other activities, and features valuable information for children, parents, motorists, bus drivers and educators

o a range of materials to promote awareness about school bus safety for children and the wider community including stickers, fridge magnets, posters and advertisements in and on the backs of Metro buses.

https://www.rsac.tas.gov.au/roadsafekids/ https://www.metrotas.com.au/community/school-bus-safety/  Kidsafe Tasmania “Touch, Wait, Be Safe Hands” resources – Kidsafe Tasmania was funded by State Growth in 2018-19 to produce and distribute 2 000 magnetic community resources to schools and childcare centres across Tasmania in the shape of a hand to attach to car doors. The magnets displayed the phrase, “Touch, Wait, Be Safe” to help children understand which car door to use, and to stand by the car with their hand on the magnetic resource until their parent assisted them into the car.

I trust this information is of assistance.

Yours sincerely Andrew Wright A/General Manager, Road User Services 20 December 2022