www.ntnews.com.au Northern Territory News, Saturday, January 23, 2010 — 23

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Thanks to you Australia, we’ve fi nally got our name –

iSnack 2.0 is now Vegemite Cheesybite.

It’s a little bit Vegemite, a little bit cheesy and a little bit different.

is a killer ‘No doubt some drivers will argue

they only hurt themselves. That’s a

cop out. Stand alongside any of my

staff delivering the message and

you will see the hurt experienced by

grieving relatives

’

TAKE CARE: Jarrod James, 20,volunteers for a breath test fromConstable Helen Davies and Con-stable Douglas Roberts

Of course, we tend to blame othersfor drink-driving. But what about ourown behaviour in motor vehicles.

The George Institute recentlyconducted an analysis of NT crashesand found: ‘‘The proportion of trafficcasualties not wearing a seatbelt onrural roads increased significantlyfrom 14.1 per cent in 1997 to 22 per centin 2008.’’

There can only be one reason peopledon’t wear a simple life saving device— poor attitude.

No doubt some drivers will arguethey only hurt themselves.

Excuse the pun, but that’s a cop out.Stand alongside any of my staff

delivering the message and youwill see the hurt experienced bygrieving relatives.

Finally, to prove the point is what Ibelieve will be the next mostsignificant factor in serious injuryand fatal crashes — mobile phone use.

Recent ‘‘self-report’’ statisticsreveal 30 per cent of drivers ‘‘read textmessages while driving’’ and, morealarming, 16 per cent of drivers ‘‘sendtext messages while driving’’.

Motor vehicles are an essential partof modern day living and holding alicence is a right we have, providing ofcourse we do so responsibly.

For those who do, there is muchenjoyment to be had.

For those who don’t, there is apossibility that it will be yourdriveway the police car pulls up in asa police officer prepares to deliver the

worst news possible. So, next time youget into a motor vehicle as a driver orpassenger take a moment to think ofWinston Churchill, who said:‘‘Attitude is a little thing that makes abig difference.’’ It might be the littlething that keeps you alive.

John McRoberts

Commissioner and CEO

Northern Territory Police, Fireand Emergency Services 3

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