Buckle up this Easter, we don’t want new members – QASA
Paraplegics organisation asks motorists to wear seat belts.
“Buckle up, we don’t want new members.”
The QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA) asks motorists to wear their seat belts this Easter holiday season to prevent spinal cord injury in the event of a road accident.
This Easter one will see quadriplegics and paraplegics deployed at eight service stations on national roads encouraging motorists to buckle up (wear their seat belt) to reduce the number of spinal cord injuries from accidents on South African roads.
QASA will launch the initiative on Saturday 29 March in order to greet road users on their way to their holiday destinations with a strong message to wear their seat belts.
Motorists will be approached at the service stations by quadriplegics and paraplegics and asked to sign a pledge to buckle up. In return they will receive a free licence disk sticker.
Quadriplegics and paraplegics involved in this road safety campaign will be branded with bibs that identify them as campaigners. They will introduce themselves to encourage motorists to wear their seat belts on their journey.
A total of 40 members of QASA have been employed for this project and the Association is proud to be involved in this road safety initiative as part of their commitment to preventing spinal cord injury.
The Association is adamant that if you are wearing your seatbelt and get involved in an accident, your chances of sustaining a spinal cord injury are reduced drastically.
In South Africa more than 900 people per year sustain spinal cord injuries and half of these are a result of road accidents. The impact on their lives and the lives of their families is devastating and the cost immeasurable.
The Buckle up – we don’t want new members campaign was awarded the SA Guild of Motoring Journalists’ “Road Safety Project of the Year” award.
This year, the campaign is supported by the Road Accident Fund, Avis and the Cannonball Run event.
QASA is a member of the Global Road Safety Partnership, thereby demonstrating their commitment to road safety in South Africa.
QASA supports the decade of action for road safety and endorsers all reasonable initiatives to prevent injury and death on South African roads.
The QASA CEO, Ari Seirlis says, “We are proud to deliver a road safety programme to the public. Not only will we reduce the number of persons sustaining spinal injuries in crashes, but we employ our own members in implementing the project. Some of the very victims of road accidents will be at the service station sites to encourage road safety among the public.
“So often, charities are seen with their hands out for handouts; in this project we extend a hand to the South African public by giving something back in the form of an awareness campaign that will save millions in rehabilitation costs and reduce the number of persons becoming disabled. We owe our road users this campaign.
“QASA also is very proud to have some investment from the Road Accident Fund in this campaign in a new partnership towards the reduction of catastrophic injury from road crashes.
“QASA makes a big investment in prevention and this exercise is a demonstration of our commitment to reducing the number of spinal cord injuries in South Africa.
“Distracted driving is also on our agenda where we encourage road users not to use their mobile phones whilst driving, whether that be Talking or Texting.”
