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Maitland City Council Road Safety Strategic Plan
The Council’s Road Safety Strategic Plan outlines a coordinated approach to making roads safer and reducing the costs of crashes to the community.
The purpose of the plan is to:
- outline goals, objectives and strategies that Council, the community and road safety stakeholders can focus on to improve road safety.
- develop community support, awareness, ownership and participation in road
safety.
- encourage effective communication and coordination between stakeholders.
Click here to view the Road Safety Strategic Plan.
Motorcycling the Hunter
 The Scenic Hunter Valley is just a short trip north of Sydney and offers riders the best of all things.
From the attractions of Wine Country in Cessnock to the mountainous Barrington Tops near Dungog through Historic Hunter River Country around Maitland to the blue water paradise of Port Stephens, this area has something for everyone.
The Hunter provides riders with fascinating leisurely rides for groups, tourers and locals that include highway conditions through to enjoyable winding country roads. ‘Motorcycling the Hunter’ has road safety information on scenic rides throughout this area with comprehensive maps, local events, and essential information on road safety issues such as speeding, drink driving/riding, fatigue and pillion safety.
The forty page colour booklet, developed by local Road Safety Officers in consultation with local motorcycle groups, is available free of charge through Visitors Information Centres, Council offices and motorcycle distributors in the Maitland, Cessnock, Dungog and Port Stephens area.
For further information contact Councils Road Safety Officer on 4934 9840 Monday to Wednesday or email alisonma@maitland.nsw.gov.au.
Speed Limit
Almost half of fatal crashes on our regions roads are caused by speeding. When you speed, your stopping distance increases, and you have less time to react to avoid a crash.
The risk of a crash in an urban 60km/hr speed zone causing death or injury increases rapidly even with relatively small increases of speed. The accident risk at 65km/h is about twice the risk at 60km/h. At 70km/h the accident risk is more than four times the risk at 60km/hr. 
Child Restraints
Which type of restraint for what age?
Infants (up to 9kg, about 6 months)
Always use an approved infant restraint. Keep your child in a rearward-facing restraint until he or she physically won't fit. Don't carry your child in your arms. In a crash you won't be able to hold on to your child. He or she will be thrown around the vehicle interior or thrown out of the vehicle. Before moving to a forward-facing child seat, your child must be able to sit and easily hold his or her head upright.
Young children (9kg up to 18kg, 6 months to approximately 5 years)
Always use an approved child seat. You may be tempted to move your child on to a booster seat when a new brother or sister comes along. This is not recommended. Nothing else offers the same level of crash protection for young children as a child seat. Our advice is to continue putting your child in the approved seat until he or she is too big for it. This is usually when the child simply will not fit in the seat because of shoulder width.
Older children (up to 26kg, about 6 years)
A booster seat may be needed to improve seat belt fit or to enable your child to see out of the vehicle. As a general guide, buy a rigid booster seat (with a back), side wings and a sash guide to keep the seat belt in place - all the preferred booster seats are like this. Use an adult lap/sash seat belt or a child harness in conjunction with the centre rear lap belt. When using a harness, remember to tightly adjust the lap belt first, and then the harness, just removing the slack. The lap belt should always be much tighter than the shoulder harness.
Never use a booster seat or cushion with just a lap-only seat belt!
Airbags and child restraints
Airbags have a well proven record of saving lives. In the US, where they are much more common, they are estimated to save over 500 lives each year. However, more recently there has been some media attention to children reportedly killed by airbags. In most cases a rearward-facing infant restraint was being used, the child seat wasn't attached properly to the car, or the child wasn't wearing a seat belt.
So, if your car has an airbag on the passenger side, how do you safely restrain a child? Here are our recommendations:
- Never use a rearward-facing infant restraint in the front passenger seat.
- Preferably fit all child restraints in the rear seat.
- If you do not have a rear seat and have to use a forward-facing child seat or booster in the front passenger seat:
- position the adult seat at its rearmost setting on the seat slide.
- make sure the top tether is attached firmly if provided.
- discourage the child from leaning forward.
Currently in NSW, it is illegal to use a child restraint in a front passenger seat if there is an airbag for the passenger.
Are you using a SAFE restraint?
To find out use the following Child Restraint Checklist:
- Does the restraint have the Australian Standards Mark (AS 1754) which means it has passed official laboratory crash tests?
- YES - continue
- NO - discard the restraint
- Has the restraint been involved in a car crash?
- YES - discard the seat
- NO - continue
- Are there any cracks, bends or breaks in the plastic shell or metal frame?
- YES - discard the seat
- NO - continue
- Do you have a copy of the manufacturer's instructions?
- YES - continue
- NO - Call Kidsafe (phone - (02) 4942 4488) for telephone number of manufacturers to request instructions.
- Does the restraint have all of its parts: harness straps, padding, tether straps and bolts?
- YES - Continue
- NO - discard the restraint or obtain replacement part from manufacturer
- Are the harness straps worn or frayed?
- YES - discard the restraint or obtain replacement part from manufacturer
- NO - continue
- Does the buckle area show signs of rust?
- YES - discard the restraint or obtain replacement part from manufacturer
- NO
- Does the buckle mechanism latch and remain latched and unlatch smoothly?
- YES - Use the restraint!!
- NO - discard the restraint or obtain replacement part from manufacturer
If you have any questions about the effectiveness and safety of your child passenger restraint, you can have it inspected at RTA Authorised Restraint Fitting Stations – ring 1800 042 865 for the location nearest you.
In Maitland our RTA authorised restraint fitters are located at:
- Autobarn, 14 Mitchell Drive Green Hills (East Maitland) 2323 Ph 4933 2900
- Heritage Motor Group, Cnr New England Hwy and Bungaree St Maitland 2320 Ph 4932 0779
For more information on child restraints you can visit the RTA website.
 Seatbelts
Seatbelts save lives, so buckle up every time. As a driver YOU are responsible for the passengers in your vehicle and YOU will be fined for permitting them to travel unrestrained.
No Belt – No Brains!
Tips for Safe Partying – Be a Good Host
- If you are having friends over, be sure transport is arranged so your friends don’t drink and drive
- ave low alcohol and soft drinks available as an alternative to drinking alcohol.
- Always have food available where alcohol is consumed.
- Invite friends to sleep over so they don’t drink and drive home.
- Let friends pace their own drinking. Don’t pressure them to drink more.
- Encourage a designated driver who doesn’t drink to drive drinking friends home.
REMEMBER, Your blood alcohol can continue to rise for 2 hours after your last drink and takes many hours to be removed by the body. Even after a few hours sleep you may still be over the limit to drive.
WHEN I DRINK – I DON’T DRIVE
Drinking Kills Driving Skills
For more information on safe partying contact your local Council Community Safety Officer for a Safe Party Pack.
 Young Drivers - Survivors
Helping Learner Drivers Become Safer Drivers
Statistics show that young drivers 17-20 years are three times more likely to be involved in casualty crashes. That’s why the RTA has introduced a new licensing scheme which requires learner drivers to have more supervised driving practice.
To help you with practical advice about:
- supervising learner drivers,
- completing the Learner Driver Log Book, and
- the benefits of driving practice,
The RTA has set up FREE two hour workshops for parents and other supervisors of learner drivers.
Maitland City Council’s Road Safety Officer will conduct the Graduated Licensing Scheme (GLS) workshops locally. Advertisements will be placed in local newspapers and on radio in the month prior to the workshop. For further information contact Maitland City Council’s Road Safety Officer on 4934 9840 or emaill alisonma@maitland.nsw.gov.au.
Seniors - Older Wiser Walkers
People aged 60 years and over, represent 40% of all pedestrian fatalities, although they comprise only 17% of the total NSW population.
The Department of Ageing regards people aged over 60 years as a Senior. Seniors are the fastest growing group of the population with it estimated that one in four Australians will be over the age of 60 years in 20 years time.
The proportion of crashes involving senior pedestrians is expected to increase in the next decade as the proportion of older people in the population increases.
Older Wiser Walkers aims
1. To give you the KNOWLEDGE and encourage you to THINK about your risks as a pedestrian.
2. To offer you KNOWLEDGE on how to PLAN for a safer journey.
To book an OLDER WISER WALKERS presentation for your group contact Councils Road Safety Officer on 4934 9840 or email alisonma@maitland.nsw.gov.au.
Safety Outside Schools
Tips to improve safety around schools:
1. School age children should always travel in the back seat of your vehicle. Each child must be firmly buckled into an appropriate seat belt or child restraint. NEVER share a seatbelt.
2. Children should always get in and out of the car through the rear kerb side or ‘safety door’.
3. Always drop your children on the school side of the road.
4. Meet your children on the school side of the road, preferably at the school gate. This is particularly important in wet weather.
5. NEVER call your children from across the road. Teach them to wait until you come to them. Talk with them about what you should do if you are not there on time.
6. Children up to at least eight years old should hold an adult’s hand in the car park, on the footpath and when crossing the road. Children between eight and at least ten years old should be closely supervised by an adult in the traffic environment and should hold an adult’s hand when crossing the road.
7. Talk your child through the STOP – LOOK – LISTEN – THINK routine every time you cross the road.
STOP – One step back from the kerb,
LOOK – For traffic to you right, left and right,
LISTEN – For the sounds of approaching traffic,
THINK – Whether it is safe to cross.
Always look and listen for traffic as you cross the road.
8. Always slow to 40km/h when travelling in a school zone SCHOOL ZONE times in most schools zones are 8am to 9.30am and 2.30pm to 4pm school days.
9. Always obey the parking signs around your child’s school. These signs help save lives.
10. NEVER leave a child of any age in a vehicle without adult supervision.
http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/downloads/road_safety_school_info_parents.pdf
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