FILMING a television special on the dangers of country roads, journalist Ray Martin was disturbed by what he saw.
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“The facts are overwhelming that two-thirds of the road deaths in Australia happen on country roads, and 82 per cent of those are men,” Mr Martin said.
Shot partly in Armidale, the crew met with PCYC’s Safer Drivers Course coordinator Jenny Davidson.
Students from St Alberts College, some who have lost mates on the road themselves, also gave interviews.
The college students were shocked to meet road trauma victim Tegan Lloyd, Mr Martin said.
“She’s in a wheelchair, she lost her legs in a road crash as a 15-year-old in the back of the car,” he said.
“I think for the students, there were about five deaths associated with the college last year, they were conscious that there’s an important campaign to try and get kids to slow down.”
The documentary busts the myth that road crashes largely involve out-of-town drivers or young drivers speeding.
More than 90 per cent of road crashes are driver related, Mr Martin said.
“It's how we change attitudes, I think the end result of the documentary is through the eyes of people who have been victims, families who have been victims, or survivors,” he said.
“But the message is still not getting through to men.
“It’s the risk-taking that blokes have in their DNA that simply brings the results we’ve got.”
Mr Martin said he was perturbed by the story of a country driver going 127 kilometres in a 50 kilometre zone while shooting the special.
The filming took place in Armidale in October.