The Southside Melbourne Flyers are thrilled to connect with Victoria’s WNBL, NBL Clubs, and Basketball Victoria, together with other sporting bodies to join TAC in a mission to save lives and prevent injuries on the state’s roads.
The Flyers Community Program continues to grow and being part of this important road safety campaign provides the players with the opportunity to spread road safety awareness, not only at our WNBL games, but also in the community.
The campaign was launched outside the MCG on Thursday.
A new Transport Accident Commission (TAC) campaign will see tens of thousands of Victoria’s grassroots and elite sportspeople join its mission to saves lives and prevent injuries on the state’s roads.
Minister for Roads and Road Safety, Melissa Horne, joined the TAC and CEOs from Cricket Victoria, Basketball Victoria and Football Victoria at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to announce new partnerships with the three sporting codes, building advocacy for road safety with more than 1700 clubs across the state.
Central to the initiative is the TAC Club Participation Program that will see Road Safety Rounds take place across the three sports, with cricket underway this week, basketball in January and soccer in April. Similar to the TAC’s Road Safety Round with AFL Victoria, players and officials will wear blue armbands to ‘Band Together’ for road safety awareness, and in honour of those impacted by road trauma.
As part of the program, community clubs will have the opportunity to share in merchandise and vouchers - with a total value of $40,000 per sport - by demonstrating how they are promoting road safety in their communities.
Across the summer, the pilot program will focus on the dangers of speed, with clubs equipped to spread the campaign messages – ‘Be the Difference’ and ‘Make the right choice. Slow down on the road’ - and remind their communities that we are all accountable for keeping ourselves and others safe, every time we use our roads.
Grassroots clubs are trusted voices and leaders in their communities, and the program aims to build on the success of the TAC’s Club Rewards program, which has seen hundreds of football and netball clubs become road safety advocates across all corners of Victoria over the past six years.
A powerful lineup of elite clubs, including cricket’s Melbourne Stars and Melbourne Renegades, basketball’s Melbourne United and Bendigo Spirit, and football’s Melbourne Victory and Melbourne City, will amplify the messages throughout their seasons to fans and members.
It comes as 274 people have lost their lives on Victorian roads this year, with speeding a major contributor to around 30 per cent of fatalities. The TAC this week launched its major holiday road safety advertising campaign, with two hard-hitting new television ads focusing on the dangers of speed and drink driving.
For more information on the TAC Club Participation Program, visit: tac.vic.gov.au/road-safety/current-sponsorships/sports-program
Quotes attributable to Transport Accident Commission CEO, Tracey Slatter:
“The TAC is proud to expand its involvement in grassroots sport to reach as many people as possible with the simple but lifesaving message to slow down.”
“Whether it’s players, families, volunteers or supporters, sporting communities have the power to model safe driving behaviour and create lasting cultural change.”
