A key part of the strategy is fixing high speed rural roads, where 44 per cent of deaths and 20 per cent of serious injuries happen.

We cannot accept this as our price for getting around.

As humans, we do make mistakes from time to time – the Towards Zero approach will create an environment where drivers and riders’ mistakes aren’t fatal.

On country roads, this means looking at innovative, comprehensive solutions to build the safest roads possible.

It also means driving the safest cars we can afford and taking on our shared responsibility to be safe road users.

Contrary to what some have said in recent days, sweeping speed limit changes are not planned.

Infrastructure changes are the priority, and speed limit changes would only be considered where there is a strong evidence base to support doing so, including crash histories and other local factors.

The Goulburn Valley Highway is a case in point where the speed limit was reduced from 100-kilometres per hour to 80-kilometres per hour, following a tragic loss of five lives in five months.

Once centre line barriers have been installed and other improvements made, the limit will return to 100-kilometres per hour.

More information about the Towards Zero Action Plan can be found at towardszero.vic.gov.au.

JOE CALAFIORE

CEO, Transport Accident Commission

THE Man in the Corner item in the Mail-Times on May 16 was of great interest to an ardent global warming and climate change sceptic.

I believe that temperatures of 122 Fahrenheit (51 degrees Celsius) did occur, but some people are not convinced. 

A similar story from Charlton from an old newspaper in 1907, where very high temperatures were also reported, was published a few years ago.

If Ian Thomas, who initiated the Man in the Corner item, could be induced to contact me I would be most delighted.

RON FISCHER

Horsham

WITH only half of Australia’s children and young people using active transport at least once per week to travel to and-or from school, and only one third of Australian children and young people using active transport daily, parents and children are being called on to take part in National Walk Safely to School Day this Friday. 

Only one in five Australian kids are meeting the recommended national physical activity guidelines of accumulating at least 60-minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity every day. 

Active transport (defined as walking, using a scooter or riding) is one of the key behaviours that contributes to the overall physical activity levels of Australia’s children. 

Children who use active transport to get to or from school are not only more physically active than those who do not, but also accumulate more daily minutes of health enhancing activity – take more steps, expend more energy over the day and generally have better health-related fitness. 

The 2015 Active Healthy Kids Australia progress report card on active transport highlighted that: 

Only 25 per cent of parents let their child help make the decision on how they will get to and from school.

There has been a decline of about 42 per cent in young Australian’s use of active transport between 1971 and 2013 (using state-based data from New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia). 

Kids accumulate moderate-to-vigorous physical activity minutes when engaging in all forms of active transport to or from school including trips that incorporate the use of public transport. 

In Australia there are a number of factors that have potentially attributed to the decline of active transport participation. 

In particular, increasing safety concerns among parents; and the distances kids need to negotiate becoming greater (with two kilometres seen to be the tipping point), even though 57 per cent of parents report the distance to school is actually only three kilometres or less. 

National Walk Safely to School Day is an important initiative that brings communities together to teach road safety with the hope of alleviating the fears parents and children have about using active transport to and from school. 

It raises awareness of the health, road safety, transport and environmental benefits that regular walking, riding or scooting (especially to and from school) can provide for the long term health of our children.

New strategies need to be adopted to overcome safety concerns and get children to become more engaged with active transport. Participation rates as they are raises the question, have we set the bar too low and should we be aiming for the majority of Australian kids to be active (in some part) to and from school on most days? 

Dr NATASHA SCHRANZ

Active Healthy Kids Australia