Riverlinks Eastbank Centre and a Monash Park tree in Shepparton and the water tower in Mooroopna will be lit up in yellow — from May 19 to 22 — to remind people to stay safe on the roads.
Road trauma advocate Robyn Greening said it was important to recognise how much of an impact road trauma had on people.
Ms Greening’s son Jarrod has used a wheelchair since a collision nearly 20 years ago, when he was 21.
“From 2017 to 2021 we’ve lost 30 lives on the road, 22 of them were male,” Ms Greening said.
‘’The 18 to 26 age group think ‘I’m invincible, it won’t happen to me’.’’
She said of the 396 injuries to people in Shepparton in the past five years, 60 people had a length of stay in hospital longer than 14 days.
“Road trauma doesn’t always kill, it can leave you with a life sentence like my son — it’s coming up on 20 years since his collision and for someone who was a happy-go-lucky 21-year-old to spend 20 years in a wheelchair, no one wants to spend their life like that,” Ms Greening said.
“It doesn’t get any easier, just because it’s 20 years on doesn’t make it any easier.”
She said the lighting was also to remind people support was available for victims and their families, including counselling.
“I have used the services and I think had I been more aware of it earlier in my road trauma travel,’’ Ms Greening said.
“I wish I had have known about it earlier. It got me out of a dark hole I was in.”
Counselling is available through Road Trauma Support Services. Call 1300 367 797 or head to www.rtssv.org.au for more information and support.
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