Supporting those impacted by road trauma
Injury Matters was pleased to celebrate 10 years of delivering Road Trauma Support WA at the recent Injury Preventions and Safety Awards event held in May at the Perth Convention Centre.
To commemorate this occasion Road Trauma Support WA launched a video snapshot which recognises the contributions made towards reducing the impact of road trauma in Western Australia from its humble beginnings to now. Road Trauma Support WA would like to acknowledge the partnerships and support received by individual’s, communities and stakeholders over the decade. The video can be viewed here.
To further recognise the work of other organisations and services working to support individuals or communities after road trauma a new category was introduced for the 2023 Awards event, Outstanding Achievement in Practice that Supports Recovery for those impacted by road trauma. Read our news below to learn more about the winners of this category and other amazing injury prevention and recovery programs being delivered across the State.
Autumn has been a busy time for the team with various events, workshops and regional visits occurring across the state and working with our varied partners and supporters.
We have a long standing relationship with RAC, particularly in supporting their BStreetsmart and Project Road Smart road safety events. The team provide mental health first aid to anyone who may be triggered at these events as well as offer support through information displays and resources.
Additionally the team were invited to provide mental health support to National Road Safety Week activities led by the Road Safety Commission in May. Check out our blog here.
Throughout our interactions with our stakeholders, the team continue to reinforce the importance of looking after the wellbeing of your audience when delivering road safety interventions, by having mental health support structures in place, particularly if there is exposure to high impact re-enactments.
We had the pleasure of providing a professional development workshop for the Paraplegic Benefit Funds’ peer support team. The workshop aimed to increase knowledge and understanding of the impact of road trauma, grief and loss and how to support yourself and others. The workshop also covered compassion fatigue for people working and volunteering in a helping profession, with tools on how to lessen the impact.
In addition the team visited Kalgoorlie, Lake Grace and Narrogin over the past months, and has upcoming travel planned for Gingin, Broome, Dowerin and Geraldton. Read more about this and upcoming trips below.
We encourage you to reach out if you’d like to find out more about our workshops or if your would like the team to visit your workplace or community group contact us on (08) 6166 7688 or email [email protected]
As we move into the winter months, we’d like to remind everyone to drive safely on the roads.
2023 Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion Awards
Congratulations to all 2023 Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion Award finalists and winners. For the first time ever at this Awards event, there was an equal tied win for Outstanding Achievement in Practice that Supports Recovery for those impacted by road trauma.
Congratulations to Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) Wellness Branch and Paraplegic Benefit Fund (PBF) for their action and excellence in supporting those working in post-crash care.
National Road Safety Week 2023
WA hosted National Road Safety Week this year with the theme ‘Drive So Others Survive’. Road Trauma Support WA was invited to support some of the events hosted in order to recognise lived experience and acknowledge the impact of road trauma. Find out more about our involvement during the week below!
Road Trauma Support Out in the Community
Regionally, the team travelled to Kalgoorlie to support RAC’s Project Road Smart event and met with key stakeholder while in the region. We’ve created a blog where you can read about our experiences whilst there.
The Injury Matters team were also invited back to Lake Grace by the Community Resource Centre. Twelve people attended a half day workshop on ‘After A Road Crash: Supporting Yourself and Others’ with a mix of community members and first responders in attendance.
While we were in the region we met with local Community Paramedics in Narrogin and Lake Grace, and took the opportunity to visit the Wickepin Community Resource Centre to deliver resources.
Upcoming events and activities in the Community
The team continue to plan regional training activities for the remainder of the year and have some exciting workshops confirmed, including:
- Week beginning 3rd July: After A Road Crash: Supporting Yourself and Others – Emergency Responder Workshop, Gingin
- Week beginning 31st July: RAC Project Road Smart Event, Broome
- Week beginning 28th August: GWN Dowerin Field Days
- Week beginning 11th September: RAC Project Road Smart, Geraldton
- Week beginning 16th October: RAC Project Road Smart, Albany
If you would like our team to meet with your organisation or workplace while we are in your region please contact us at [email protected] or 6166 7688. We can talk about how we can support individual’s impacted by a road incident, deliver a presentation or workshop for your organisation/community and/or attend a community event.
Road Trauma Support Resource Ordering
Road Trauma Support WA have a range of resources available for download online. Many are also available in printed version. To order printed copies, please email us directly at [email protected] or calling (08) 6166 7688 or 1300 004 814 (free call).
Please make sure you include in the email the following:
- Name of resource required
- Number of resources required
- Contact name for the order
- Postal address (include any additional delivery information which may be necessary)
- Contact phone number
Once we receive your email, we’ll action your order as soon as possible.
RightByYou – Neami National Launch New Website
During the month of April, Neami National launched their youth suicide prevention website, RightByYou.
RightByYou is an online platform designed by and for young people (12-25) who want to help a friend expressing thoughts of suicide online. RightByYou promotes leading evidenced-based suicide prevention resources to empower young people to identify warning signs, initiate important conversations, and refer friends to help.
Safe Driving in winter
We acknowledge that sometimes winter driving can be challenging with weather conditions being unpredictable.
The South West Industry Road Safety Alliance have developed some essential tips for safe driving in winter conditions; to learn more click on their campaign materials.
Australasian Road Safety Conference
Join Australasia’s leading road safety and injury prevention researchers, practitioners and policy makers for the Australasian Road Safety Conference 2023.
ARSC 2023 will be held in Cairns, QLD and online to accommodate delegates from anywhere in the world. This hybrid format will bring together road safety stakeholders and decision-makers from Australasia and international jurisdictions to facilitate collaboration and share information.
Award nominations are open now.
TEDx Talk: Grief and Loss
Dr Lauren Breen, TEDx talk on grief and loss. Listen as she busts some myths about grief and shares some of her own experiences.
Dr Lauren Breen was instrumental in establishing the RTS Service in WA. In 2012 she conducted in depth research on behalf of the Department of Health WA: Establishing a Sustainable Road Trauma Support Service in WA.