‘That pain is still there every day’: Ratten uses son’s memory to promote road safety message

Cooper Ratten died when he was 16.

So far this year, 132 people have lost their lives on Victorian roads, up by 17 from last year, with a large portion – 77 of those – in regional areas. There has also been a rise in young people dying on roads with 24 lives lost in the 18-25 age group, compared to 16 this time last year.

He said getting to zero was the aim.

“It’s a big ask to get to zero but … that’s our aim. We don’t want anybody to feel the pain that I’ve had to feel or others in the community.

“We can put an end to this by just taking a bit more time [on our roads].”

TAC head of road safety Samantha Cockfield said through the partnership with the AFL, the organisation had been able to reach hundreds of thousands of people across local communities.

“Nobody needs to be killed on Victoria’s roads,” said Cockfield, who attributed the biggest factor to the road toll to speeding, particular on high-speed country roads.

“Road safety round is a great way to share our message on a local level and remind each other that we all have a role to play in keeping the roads safe.”

This weekend, local football and netball will wear bright blue armbands to show support for the initiative, which will have a QR code on them where people can access stories and understand more about the impacts of road tolls.

Victorian Minister of Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos said personal stories, such as the one Ratten shared, were a great access point to learning more about the impacts of unsafe behaviour.

“There’s a new generation of drivers every year and sharing stories is very impactful for everybody but particularly for young people,” said Dimopoulos, who noted the leadership sporting clubs can play in the community.

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“Community sporting clubs, football, netball clubs and others, have a real sense of leadership in their own communities. They can influence behaviour change.

“They’re the local champions of their community, so we’re leveraging their standing in their communities, for the third year in a row, to deliver a very, very important road safety message.”

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