The Essendon Football Club is proud to join forces with the TAC supporting road safety for the round 24 blockbuster against Collingwood on Friday night.
The Bombers will recognise the work done by the TAC throughout the Round 24 match highlighting the importance of road safety in Victoria.
The iconic red sash on the Bombers’ guernsey will incorporate a seatbelt design to remind Australians that seatbelts save lives.
The TAC and Essendon partnership comes as the number of people killed on Victorian roads remains tragically high, with 185 lives lost this year, compared with 151 at the same time in 2022.
Alarmingly, 22 drivers and passengers have died this year not wearing seatbelts.
With all this in mind, Essendon is committed to highlighting the importance of the simple action of wearing a seatbelt.
Essendon Chief Executive Officer Craig Vozzo said the club is aiming through the partnership to have great impact in the wider community in raising awareness of the potential life changing decision to wear a seatbelt.
“We want everyone to be able to enjoy watching the football surrounded by their family and friends, however for some, they’ve lost loved ones due to tragedies on our roads,” Vozzo said.
“The simple act of putting our seatbelts on can ultimately save our life. We urge all Essendon and football fans to buckle up every time they are in a vehicle.
“This is a proud partnership for the club and one that we hope will have a significant impact on the Victorian community.”
The TAC is a Victorian Government-owned organisation whose role is to promote road safety, support those injured on our roads and help them get their lives back on track.
TAC Chief Executive Officer Tracey Slatter said the number of people losing their lives without wearing a seatbelt was unfathomable, 53 years after they became mandatory in Victoria.
“We know that most people do the right thing, but two per cent of people still don’t wear a seatbelt; seatbelts save lives and that is why we are stepping up our efforts to encourage everyone to buckle up,” Slatter said.
“This campaign with the Bombers and the historic seatbelt sash is a significant effort to remind fans to make the safe choice every time they get in a vehicle.
“We’re heading into an exciting few weeks for AFL fans, so it is a valuable time for us to put road safety front of mind for all those watching on Friday night.”
