If you share the road, you share the responsibility to keep yourself and others safe.

If Tasmanians want to make a positive contribution, they need to understand the science and evidence that underpins the policies that are designed to save lives.

And they need to support the road safety initiatives driven by science and evidence.

At the heart of road safety are some simple propositions Tasmanians should consider if they want to make a positive contribution:

It is science and evidence that drove the changes that have significantly reduced road trauma since the 1970s.

It is science that showed us that speed is the aggravating factor in all crashes, that seatbelts save lives, that distraction and fatigue are the cause of many crashes, that alcohol, drugs and driving are a lethal cocktail.

It is science that has given us safer vehicles with technology such as airbags, autonomous emergency braking, lane assist, speed alerts - all designed to save lives because driving a vehicle is inherently dangerous.

The road rules and speed limits and enforcement are there to ensure we get all home safely every day.

So do safety barriers, and sealed shoulders, safer intersections, warning signs of changing road conditions, roundabouts, and speed limits appropriate to the road design.

So do the many road safety campaigns that endeavour to change our behaviour behind the wheel.

It's the combination of these initiatives that is critical to making our roads safer.

The state government Road Safety Action Plan, 2020-2024, outlines what can be done and points to the science that is its foundation. That Action Plan should be the touch-stone for Tasmanians who care about their safety and the safety of others on our roads and want to make a difference.