A VIDEO promoting the importance of safe driving practices has hit a chord with local drivers and traffic controllers.
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It has been a hit with thousands of views online. It reveals why drivers must slow down and not touch their mobile phone around roadwork sites.
On average there are 30,000 vehicle movements a day between Wrights Rd and Lake Rd per day in Port Macquarie, with men and women patrolling current roadwork areas to ensure a safe passage for all road users.
One hundred people have been killed at work in Australian during 2018 and in the Hastings area, three incidents have gone to court in the last 18 months.
This is a statistic Men at Work directors Ross Cargill and Kiel Bigeni are reinforcing in a bid to prevent injury and save lives.
"Those incidents have been the fault of the driver, where the traffic controller has had to jump out of the way to avoid possible death,” Mr Cargill said.
“These traffic controllers are part of our community and have families to go home to. The common threat is people on their phones.
“That is the key message here, for people to get off their phones. It's a really big issue. I don't want to be ringing one of my staff's family to tell them about an incident or a death.”
Mr Cargill said the community would be “surprised” by how many people are impatient and quick to judge in a roadwork section.
“We see a bit of road rage. Over the years, what I've heard particularly from our female staff members, is horrendous,” he said.
“At Men at Work, our traffic controllers are part of our family, but they also have their own families and friends that they need to get home to at night.
“If this video prevents any loss or injury to at least one extra person then it has done its job.”
The business has developed a suite of videos to promote the awareness of traffic controllers, the importance of their safety and also to increase female participation in the industry itself.
“The Road Work Safety video is the first in our series of videos with a very clear message – “Slow down and keep you hand off the phone,” Mr Cargill said.
“By featuring one of our traffic controllers, Steve White, and his beautiful family, we are trying to encourage people to empathise with our traffic controllers who are often placed in very dangerous circumstances when drivers fail to follow the rules.”
Mr Bigeni said all they are asking is for drivers to have patience as they approach road sites.
“We want them to adhere to speed limits and to put the phone away at all times when driving a vehicle,” he said.
“Together we can keep everyone safe on our roads and ensure we all return home to our loved ones."