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A Shared Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer

Parkes Shire Council shares a Road Safety and Injury Prevention Officer (RSIPO) with Forbes and Lachlan Shire Councils, and the Parkes Injury Prevention Project (PIPP). Melanie Suitor was appointed to the role in 2002. During that time she has implemented a number of very successful road safety education programs, supported engineering road safety solutions and worked with a range of community groups to address local issues. Across the State Road Safety Officers operate within Councils as part of the Local Government Road Safety Program(LGRSP).

The LGRSP represents a collaborative approach for achieving road safety in NSW. Initiated in 1992, the program, which recently celebrated its tenth year of operation, aims to involve local government and local communities in road safety planning and activities in order to contribute to the statewide effort of reducing the incidence and severity of crashes. Aside from RSO's the LGRSP involves other agencies including; the Roads and Traffic Authority, Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia, the Local Government and Shires Association and the Motor Accidents Authority. The program operates within the context of the State Government's Road Safety 2010 strategy and aims to incorporate behavioural, enforcement and educational strategies which complement engineering and planning solutions that address local road safety problems. The RSO's role is to develop and implement local community road safety activities, with particular focus on behaviour-change programs and to facilitate the development of Council Road Safety Strategic Plans. Over the past ten years it has become evident that RSO's have proved very successful in complementing local engineering solutions with the provision of local education and awareness campaigns. This ability to focus on local issues is the key to the success of the program. RSO's are responsible for:

- the development and implementation of Council Road Safety Strategic and Action Plans - the facilitation of the LGRSP in council, fostering existing partnerships and encouraging wider community ownership and participation in road safety issues - the development, coordination and implementation of local and contribution towards statewide and regional road safety initiatives - liaison with all aspects of the local community (including service providers, local stakeholders and individuals) to develop and deliver road safety messages and - liaison with local and state government agencies and peak representative bodies, the media and educational establishments in order to develop a platform for delivering the road safety message

- The Roads and Traffic Authority
- Institute of Public Works Engineering Australia
- The Motor Accidents Authority
- Youthsafe
- NRMA
- The Australian College of Road Safety

Contact details
Melanie Suitor
02 6861 2364 (ph)
02 6862 3946 (fax)
melanie.suitor@parkes.nsw.gov.au

© 2008 Parkes Shire Council
This page: http://www.parkes.local-e.nsw.gov.au/roads/1198/1206.html