Take care on the road this festive season

In Yass Valley, the safety works on the Barton Highway and Lachlan Valley Way may help minimise accidents and loss of lives.

But infrastructure upgrades and development are external measures that don’t consider a key factor in driving: human emotions.

It seems road rules go out the window for many people during the busy period, where mindfulness of one’s surroundings is not paramount.

Sure, there are always people – motorists and pedestrians – who will tempt fate or behave as though they have right of way in every case.

But this level of road entitlement seems to go up several notches during the summer holidays.

Whether they are parking, driving or crossing the road, people often lose their care and consideration of others.

Speeding, failure to use an indicator, not giving way when required and impatience with people who are reverse parking are common behaviours year-round that seem to become more prominent at this time of year.

The perceived safety net of being inside a vehicle and de-personalisation of others at times, it seems, make any infrastructure upgrades pointless.

This issue has been on the NSW Government’s radar recently, with their launch of a new campaign to save lives on NSW country roads.

The aim is towards a zero road toll. Yet, is this a utopia? Messages and awareness campaigns are all well and good, but they tend to register only on a surface level.

To truly change, experiencing things is more permanent.

Meanwhile, pedestrians crossing at random locations or walking behind reversing vehicles seems to reach a peak at this time of year.

Such behaviour puts the pedestrian in danger and pressure on motorists. Your life might get busy in the lead-up and during the holiday season, but the road rules don’t change.

Always be mindful of safety on the road, both yours and others. None of that Christmas shopping or holiday planning will mean a thing if you don’t survive the journey to enjoy the destination.