By Jess Baker
Southern Downs locals had an opportunity to share a coffee with a cop on Sunday 15 August, as Warwick Police launched Road Safety Week at Australiana Park.
The campaign, which runs from 16 to 20 August across Queensland, urges people to consider how they can improve their driving habits to protect themselves and others on the road.
Officer in Charge of the Warwick Road Policing Unit Dominic Cremasco said unsafe driving was an issue right across the nation.
“(Driving) is something that we do every day of our life and people take it for granted that everything’s just going to be OK,” Snr Constable Cremasco said.
“Whereas it’s probably one of the most important things we’re doing.
“Not just with our own safety and wellbeing, but we’ve got our family and somebody else’s family on the road we should be taking care of and considering.”
He encouraged those who witnessed unsafe driving, including hooning, to report the behaviour to Warwick Police, Policelink, or Crime Stoppers.
“Especially (people) with video footage, dashcam footage, (or) CCTV footage from home,” he said.
“Even if it’s something anonymous that they want to give, we encourage people to come forward and give us that bit of information.”
Snr Constable Cremasco said if he could remind road users of one key message this week, it would be that road safety is everybody’s responsibility.
Warwick Police Officer in Charge Jamie Deacon said he hoped the state-wide campaign would raise awareness of road risks and the importance of road safety.
“Drive responsibly. Drive with the conditions. Don’t become fatigued and be aware of your surroundings,” Snr Sergeant Deacon said.
On Sunday morning, aspiring police officers and other members of the public met with Warwick Police, emergency workers, and community groups for a coffee, a yarn, and to learn more about how to act safely around roads.
See here our pics from the informative morning.
