Welcome to our Djilba (Spring) eNews
As Western Australia records its highest number of fatal crashes in a decade, demand for post-crash support continues to grow. Injury Matters is proud to share that the Road Safety Commission has generously provided additional funding to expand the state-wide Road Trauma Support WA service. This vital support enables us to enhance our clinical practice by offering additional counselling sessions, as well as expand our reach into regional and remote communities across WA.
In the last quarter, our team travelled to Lake Grace to deliver a half-day workshop on Navigating Grief and Loss. The workshop supported community members to better understand grief, common reactions and how to support themselves and others. We also presented at the Brookton CRC, sharing information about the Road Trauma Support WA service. We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to these two incredible Wheatbelt towns for making our team feel so welcome.
Injury Matters was honoured to be invited to present to Edith Cowan University undergraduate and post-graduate media students on Responsible Reporting of Road Trauma. The lecture provided students with an understanding of how to ethically report on road trauma incidents through pertinent examples from the RTSWA counselling service, alongside research from the Reporting Road Traffic Incidents Resource.
Injury Matters was privileged to attend the RAC Ignite Leadership Program celebration event in July. The finalists’ pitches were inspiring, showcasing innovative ideas to improve road safety outcomes for young drivers in the South West. Congratulations to all the finalists. We’re excited to see that applications are now open for their next Leadership Youth Program commencing in November.
Highlights of our service delivery from 2024/25
The past year has been one of growth, not just in numbers, but in reach, impact and connection for the Road Trauma Support WA service. In 2024/25 we delivered 1,387 counselling sessions, which is a 61% increase from the previous year.
We’re incredibly grateful to the individuals, families, professionals, and communities who continue to trust and support RTSWA.
Sharing Lived Experience
Injury Matters is honoured to introduce Tenille Vacca – someone who has found incredible strength in the aftermath of the most difficult day of her life. Tenille’s story echoes the devastation we hear from loved ones, families, and communities when a road trauma incident suddenly occurs.
Through sharing her story, Tenille has become a strong advocate, for anyone struggling with the impact of road trauma, grief and loss. She encourages anyone who may be struggling to reach out for support, whether that be family and friends, community groups or specialist services like Road Trauma Support WA.
Rural Road Safety Month
Australian Road Safety Foundation
September is Rural Road Safety Month, an initiative by the ARSF that aims to reduce the disproportionate number of fatalities and injuries occurring on regional roads.
To confront dangerous behaviours and encourage road users to step up, the ARSF has released new data showing driver attitudes when on country roads. The data highlighted that more than 1 in 4 drivers (27%) admit to relaxing their safety standards when outside city limits, with 44% of Australians confessing to breaking a road rule while driving in a regional area
Upcoming Planned Regional Travel
The team will be travelling to Busselton, Broome, Cervantes, Northam and Lancelin before the end of the year. If you are curious about opportunities for the Road Trauma Support Team to visit your region in 2025-26, please contact us directly.
Have something to share?
Let us know if you have an event or item you would like to include in our next quarterly eNews due out next year in December. Please email [email protected] with your request.