2018 marks the 20^th year of partnership between the WACFL and Road Safety (Road Safety Commission prior to 2012 followed by ICWA from 2012) promoting Road Safety and specifically the the Belt Up message.

A major component of the partnership has been the Belt Up Round which will be taking place around the state this weekend.  The Round has a special significance for our 12,500 country football players most of whom have been impacted by road crash through the loss of loved ones. Players will take a minute silence to not only remember the importance of safety on country roads, but also those who have either been injured or lost their lives on country roads.

All league footballs and player uniforms will carry the Belt up logo for this round.

WACFL General Manager Joe Georgiades was hopeful this weekend’s fixtures would help make a change to driving behaviour on country roads. “The Insurance Commission of Western Australia (ICWA) is one of our largest supporters which reflects football’s wide-reaching ability to help reduce the number and severity of personal injuries from crashes on country roads.  Every year we hear of players who are injured or lose their lives on country roads and the devastation this causes to their mates; our clubs and the community is significant.”

ICWA Commission Secretary Kane Blackman said that the Belt up round was an excellent opportunity to promote public awareness about the prevention of motor vehicle crashes to reduce the number and severity of road crashes.

“Unfortunately, our claims statistics from crashes are overrepresented by young men in regional areas. This is consistent with the trend that people in regional areas have more crashes involving personal injuries proportionally than people in metropolitan areas,” he said.

“The financial impact of crashes is also significant, as ICWA spent almost $500 million on personal injury claims from crashes in WA last year. If people have to talk to ICWA they have generally been hurt in an accident. We’d much rather see those people playing sport.”

To ensure extra promotion of the Belt up message to our Leagues and Clubs this year, the WACFL will celebrate the 20^th Anniversary of the partnership with several competitions including a chance to win tickets to the next Western Derby and Belt Up packs.