Wednesday, 19 September 2007

PARLIAMENTARY PRAISE – BENALLA SECONDARY COLLEGE DRIVER FORUM

Local MP Bill Sykes praised a Benalla Secondary College forum called “Surviving Driving” in Parliament this week. This forum was conducted last week for Year 11 and 12 students.

Dr Sykes highlighted the high impact of the speakers’ graphic descriptions of the physical and emotional pain caused by motor vehicle accident injuries and deaths.

Dr Sykes told Parliament, “You could hear a pin drop as students listened to Margaret (Markovic) talk of the ongoing pain and anguish since (her son) Daniel’s death.

“Daniel’s death was caused by a young driver who had a blood alcohol level of over four times the legal limit and has since been found guilty of culpable driving.”

Dr Sykes praised both Margaret Markovic and another speaker Michael Perkins who spoke about the impact of his serious injuries nineteen years ago.

According to Dr Sykes, Michael Perkins said that, “he has few friends, he has difficulty getting a job and yet he still says he is one of the lucky ones compared with other even more severely injured people who he cares for.”

Others praised by Dr Sykes were the forum organisers, students Samantha Conlon, Jasmine Keogh, Kristen Pianta and Rikki Mannik and speakers Chris Harrison and local SES volunteer, Brett Taylor-Parkins.

Dr Sykes concluded, “The obvious impact of this forum on ‘soon to be drivers’ highlights the importance of pre licence driver education – a policy which The Nationals continue to promote in the interest of saving our children and our families from the trauma of the death and serious injures caused by motor vehicle accidents.”

Media contact: Bill Sykes (03) 5762 2100 or 0427 624 989