Starting the year on the front foot

With the festive season now behind us, I hope that all Members and their families had an enjoyable and safe Christmas and New Year.

The Christmas break is a great time to recharge the batteries and I was fortunate to spend some quality time with my family and friends.

I am pleased to report to Members that we have started this year on the front foot.

NRMA has recently made a substantial investment in a technological company providing the most up-to-date traffic and road safety information via a website called mydrive.com.au.

Members get the added benefit of receiving the service for free - that’s a $60 saving off the annual subscription fee. All they have to do is register on the website and enter their NRMA Membership number.

MyDrive® provides motorists with up-to-date information on traffic congestion caused by crashes, road works and planned events. It provides road safety locations on black-spots, school zones and fixed safety speed cameras. It’s a great way to beat traffic congestion and stay safe on the road.

With the start of the New Year, many of our Members will be making New Year resolutions. Teaching children to drive well is a popular resolution for the parents of children at driving age.

In December, the NRMA opened its 30th Driving School across NSW and the ACT and we have more on the way. These schools don’t just teach young drivers how to get their licence; they teach them how to be safe and responsible drivers.

I encourage our Members to visit the NRMA website or call 13 11 12 for more information on NRMA’s Safer Driving Schools - they could help make your New Year’s resolution for 2008 an easy one to keep.

After a well-earned break I know the whole team at NRMA is committed to making 2008 a great year for our Members.

With one new Member benefit already under our belt the company is already making plans for new Member benefits in travel and holidays, road service, accommodation and motoring services.

It will also be another busy year in advocacy, as the company works with the newly-elected Federal Government and NSW and ACT Governments to deliver more results for Members in road funding, vehicle and driver safety and fuel pricing.

This will be a great year for the NRMA.

Tony Stuart CEO