Anti drinking drive

Shellharbour City Council and local Police have joined forces with Illawarra Health and the RTA to launch a new initiative aimed at combating drink driving.

Councils Road Safety Officer, Jenny Davies, said the campaign will focus on educating drivers who are stopped for random breath tests.

RBT operations provide a great opportunity to educate motorists about the dangers and the consequences of drink driving, Ms Davies said.

We will be handing out information to drivers and their passengers at RBT sites, to raise awareness of the issue.

Drink driving is a factor in about 18% of all fatal crashes in New South Wales while a staggering 70% of all fatal drink drive crashes occurred in country areas.

The packs contain information including the effect of alcohol on driving ability, the penalties for drink driving and tips on staying under the limit.

The focus on drink driving is the first in a series of programs for the new affiliation, known as Illawarra Road Safety Partnership, which will address road safety issues.

This new partnership is looking to develop and implement initiatives that will better educate drivers and reduce road trauma, said Ms Davies.

The first of the coordinated activities will begin this Thursday 17 August.