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Wollongong City Council
Resident Visitor Business

Road Safety

Road safety affects everyone. That includes drivers, public transport users, pedestrians, and people on bikes or scooters.

We work with Transport for NSW, Police, schools, other councils and the community to keep people safe on our roads.

Wollongong City Council is also part of the Local Government Road Safety Program.

Some of the things we do to improve road safety include awareness campaigns, workshops for road users, making sure roads are well designed, and managing local traffic rules.

Keeping children safe around schools is a big focus of our road safety work.

Rangers and local police regularly patrol school zones. Increased fines and demerit points apply for people breaking the rules in school zones.

Traffic rules and parking restrictions are in place to improve safety around schools

The following information is a guide to help keep children safe in school zones.

School Zone Parking

Watch the video below to refresh your knowledge on school zone parking rules and signage at your child's school.

We've also put together a glove box guide you can keep in the car. Download your copy below:

School Zone Parking flyer PDF, 1149.57 KB

Managing School Zone safety

Road safety issues around schools in the Wollongong area are managed by both Transport for NSW (TfNSW) and Wollongong City Council.

Details about what Council and TfNSW do can be found on the Centre for Road Safety website.

If you have a concern or request about road safety at your local school, please talk to your school principal and P&C, then use our traffic request form to share your concerns with Council.

Useful websites

Visit the websites below to learn more about safety around schools:

For more information about safety around schools, call us on (02) 4227 7111 or email our Road Safety Officer.

Learning to drive can be both exciting and intimidating. We regularly run programs for learner drivers and their supervisors to make the experience a little easier, and help people to become safer drivers.

Helping Learner Drivers Become Safer Drivers - parent workshops

These free sessions provide practical advice for supervisors of learner drivers. They cover ways to encourage safe driving behaviour, the log book, and licence requirements.

Check our events calendar for upcoming workshops or see our Helping Learner Drivers Become Safer Drivers flyer PDF, 412.88 KB.

Learner Driver Log Book Runs

Join other L-plate drivers to improve your driving skills and gain more experience in a range of conditions. Learners and their supervisors will be given a mix of experiences, including a Random Breath Test and Driver reviver fatigue stop.

This program is a partnership between Council, PCYC and the NSW Police.

There’s no cost, but you should have at least 40 hours of driving experience to take part.

Check our events calendar for upcoming runs or see our Learner Driver Log Book Run flyer PDF, 383.37 KB.

Getting your L's and P's

Visit the Geared website for everything you need to know about getting your L's, then working through the Graduated Licencing Scheme to your red and green P's.

If you've got children in your car, you need to make sure you have the right restraints to protect them.

By law, when travelling in a car, children under 7 years of age must be secured in the correct child car seat for their age and size.

Transport for NSW advises:

  • Children under 6 months must be restrained in an approved rear-facing restraint
  • Children aged between 6 months and 4 years must be restrained in an approved rear- or forward-facing restraint
  • Children aged between 4 years and 7 years must be restrained in an approved forward-facing restraint or booster seat.

Here are some links to help you with child restraints:

On the road 65Plus

The older driver licencing system helps older drivers stay independent and safe.

For more information about driving when you're over 65, see the On the road 65Plus website. It includes a helpful booklet available in multiple languages.

Licensing for older drivers

Once you reach the age of 75 years, there will be changes to your licence. For details, see the Older Drivers page on Transport for NSW's website, or download a copy of the Guide to Older Driver Licensing.

Mobility Parking Scheme

The Mobility Parking Scheme (MPS) provides special parking conditions to eligible people with a disability.

You can also visit our Accessible Parking page for information about using your MPS card in the Wollongong area and a map of Council-managed accessible parking spaces.

If you're a motorbike rider, check out these links to help you stay safe on the road:

These links can help you check the safety of your car, or one you might be thinking of buying:

Visit our Bike City pages for information about riding your bike on our roads.

Road rules

How well do you know the road rules? Brush up and learn about the 10 most misunderstood road rules on the Centre for Road Safety website.

You can also find detailed information about road rules on the Service NSW website.

Fatigue

Did you know?

  • Fatigue is one of the big three killers on NSW roads
  • Fatigue-related crashes are twice as likely to be fatal - drivers who are asleep can't brake
  • From 2013 to 2017, more people in NSW died in fatigue-related crashes than drink driving crashes
  • Being awake for about 17 hours has a similar effect on performance as a blood alcohol content (BAC) of 0.05

Visit the Fatigue page on the Centre for Road Safety website to learn how to manage fatigue when driving.

The NSW Rest Areas Map is also handy to find places to take a break on your drive.

Speed

Speed is a factor in around 40% of deaths on our roads.

Fixed, mobile and red light-speed cameras are used in NSW to help save lives and prevent injuries. Speed cameras are managed by the NSW Government. Visit the Towards Zero website to learn more.

You can also have your say and give feedback about speed limits or nominate a location for a speed camera on the Safer Roads NSW website.

If you want to report a speeding-related issue, call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444.

Mirrors

Council does not recommend the use of curved traffic mirrors on our roads.

This is mostly because the images in these mirrors are distorted, and move too quickly for drivers to make safe decisions. At night or in wet weather, it becomes even harder to see images in a mirror, which can be dangerous or confusing.

Staying safe on and around the road is an important part of Work Health and Safety.

For tips on road safety in your organisation, see the Centre for Road Safety website.

  • Visit the Centre for Road Safety website for information about caravan safety
  • See our caravans and boats page for information about parking caravans in the Wollongong area.

The Centre for Road Safety website has tips to help you stay safe walking around roads. Use these links to learn more:

You can also visit our Walking page to learn about our city's shared pathways and pedestrian plan.

Visit the Centre for Road Safety website for information about heavy vehicles:

Road safety events

14 Nov
Helping Learner Drivers Become Safer Drivers Workshop November
03 Dec
Learner Driver Log Book Run - December
09 Apr
Helping Learner Drivers Become Safer Drivers Workshop April
See Also