Mystery of Wheatbelt elephant revealed
A colourful life-size elephant travelling through the Wheatbelt has captured the attention of social media over the past two weeks and The West Australian is able to reveal the mystery behind the #ElephantInTheWheatbelt.
RAC will today launch a road-safety campaign with the patchwork elephant that aims to reduce the number of deaths on WA roads.
The elephant – 3m high by 4m long and made with parts taken from several cars involved in crashes – has visited Narrogin, Merredin and Northam as a way of raising awareness about the importance of road safety.
#ElephantintheWheatbelt a little wide load with blinkers at rear sure to turn heads & get peeps talkin #FedOnPeanuts pic.twitter.com/qRyvNIxmzG
— francesk2 (@francesk2) March 26, 2015
RAC has focused on the Wheatbelt because road trauma in the region is devastating.
“WA last year had the worst road fatality rate of any State, with one person killed every two days,” spokesman Will Golsby says.
He says the Wheatbelt’s road fatality rate is double that of nearby regions; six times the State rate; and 11 times that of the metropolitan area.
Narrogin students Cassidy Young, 10, Jo Cole, 10, Holly Cole,8, Emma O'Neill, 8 and Caitlyn O'Neill, 10, explore the elephant. Picture: Pia van Straalen
Too many motorists and passengers are dying or seriously injured in crashes and the issue has become the “elephant in the room”, which is why local communities need to start talking about it if they want lives to be saved.
“We need to start a conversation about the impact of road fatalities because it’s a tragic story we need to discuss to save lives,” Will says.
*Check out more Inside Cover news on page 2 of today’s The West Australian.''''
