EMMA and Peter Cockburn are one step closer to achieving their goal of improving driveway safety after recently meeting with the NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay.
The Cockburns lost their daughter Georgina in a driveway accident just 12 months ago.
Their meeting with the minister came one day after the anniversary of her death.
Also present was NRMA president Wendy Machin and NRMA’s Government Relations and Public Policy Sam Giddings to discuss measures that would reduce the number of low-speed driveway accidents throughout the state.
According to Mrs Cockburn the meeting was a success.
“All parties were keen to do what they could,” she said.
Mr and Mrs Cockburn discussed the need for increased awareness and greater education to continually remind people about driveway safety.
They also explained how simple preventatives measures communicated through local media can assist.
“We also discussed the need to collect up-to-date data nationally and looked at ways we could do this, as well as talking about our building code proposal and the idea of looking at the design of homes and driveways,” she said.
Mrs Cockburn said as an extension to that concept she would like to see rear vision cameras a mandatory option for all cars just like the ABS brakes, airbags and seat belts.
Mr and Mrs Cockburn are optimistic about what the future holds.
“The NSW Roads department is looking at the possibility of including information or stickers (like the Kidsafe Don’t Go if you Don’t Know/Supervise, Separate, See stop sign stickers we have handed out) in registration papers,” Mrs Cockburn said.
NRMA have agreed to look at possible areas for education and advertising programs as well as running a story in Open Road magazine.
They will also be contacting motoriing clubs throughout NSW to encourage them to support the concept.
Mr and Mrs Cockburn said they demonstrated a new reversing system installed in the family ute – shown locally at the Emergency Services Golf Day in March.
Following the meeting the couple met with Burrinjuck MLC Mick Veitch who threw his support behind the cause.
“In all a very positive day,” she said.
