Councils mark road worker day of remembrance

Parkes Shire Council will mark National Road Worker Day of Remembrance on Monday 9 November, honouring those who maintain and build our roads and remembering those who have been seriously injured or lost their lives on the job. The annual day, organised by the SARAH (Safer Australian Roads and Highways) Group with industry, government and community partners, also aims to raise awareness of the risks faced by workers at road construction and maintenance sites. Road workers often carry out their duties alongside live traffic, placing them in close proximity to speeding and distracted drivers. Parkes Shire Council’s director of operations Logan Hignett said staff safety remains a priority across all road maintenance and construction activities. “Our staff work every day to maintain and improve our road network for the community. They deserve to be able to do their jobs in a safe environment and return home to their families at the end of every shift,” Mr Hignett said in a statement. "Protecting our workers is a responsibility we take seriously." The dangers facing road workers remain significant. According to Austroads, there were an average of 18 fatal crashes and 245 serious injuries at roadwork sites each year, based on 2022 data. A survey of more than 1500 traffic controllers conducted by the Traffic Management Association of Australia and released in November 2025 highlighted the challenges workers continue to face. The survey found 53 per cent of respondents encountered vehicles failing to stop at roadwork sites at least weekly. Nearly three in 10 respondents, or 29 per cent, reported they had almost been struck by a distracted driver in the previous 12 months. A further 44 per cent said they had experienced near misses involving speeding vehicles during the same period. National Road Worker Day of Remembrance was established by Altus Traffic following the death of road worker Timmy Rakei in Melbourne in 2021. The 44-year-old father was killed when a speeding, disqualified driver struck him while he was setting up traffic cones. His colleague, Shaun Kilmartin, was seriously injured in the incident. The day now serves as a reminder of the human cost of unsafe driving behaviour and the need to protect those working on the roadside.