Hundreds of thousands of Victorians will become road safety ambassadors this weekend as grassroots football and netball clubs participate in the Road Safety Round.
Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne recently joined the Transport Accident Commission, AFL Victoria and members from Springvale Football Netball Club, to launch the round with ambassador and former Western Bulldogs player Mitch Wallis.
Wallis, who now plays for St Kevin’s in the Victorian Amateur Football Association, has been a passionate road safety ambassador since the tragic death of his mother-in-law Katie, who was hit by a car in Melbourne in 2022.
Ms Horne said local sporting clubs were very effective at spreading the road safety message.
“Local football and netball clubs are often at the heart of their communities and are in a great position to lead important conversations about being safe on our roads.”
AFL Victoria head Greg Madigan said the league was proud to be involved.
“Road Safety Round has become an important milestone on the community footy calendar, sending a really clear message that we all need to play a role in keeping ourselves and our wider communities safe when driving.”
Road Safety Round, in its sixth year, will see Victoria’s regional and suburban clubs don blue armbands to pay tribute to everyone killed or injured on the state’s roads, and ‘Band Together’ for road safety.
This year, clubs are being asked to educate members about the dangers of speeding, encouraging their members to ‘Show up for your team. Slow down on the road’.
Peer-to-peer conversations at local sporting clubs are vital in changing attitudes, creating a culture that values road safety and keeping everyone safe on Victoria’s roads.
AFL teams, including Essendon, Geelong and the Western Bulldogs, will support Road Safety Round by wearing the blue armbands during training this week.
More information about the Road Safety Round can be found at tac.vic.gov.au/bandtogether.
