Northern Grampians Highway Patrol unit has warned motorists about the dangers of driving when fatigued or distracted after the release of frightening new data.
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The latest 2017 road trauma figures showed run-off-road crashes remained the single biggest cause of deaths on Victoria’s country roads.
Out of the 155 people who died on Victoria’s rural roads last year, 109 were involved in a crash where a vehicle left its lane, with 72 lives lost in single-vehicle crashes on the roadside, and 37 deaths resulting from a head-on collision.
Northern Grampians Highway Patrol Acting Sergeant Shaun Allen said two fatalities their unit had responded to over the past 12 months were the result of run-off-road crashes.
“Fatigue is very tough for police to spot – it’s more awareness and education,” he said.
“But what we tend to see and look out for is a failure for motorists to dip their headlights, a failure to indicate when merging or changing lanes and if a vehicle is crossing over lanes.”
Acting Sergeant Allen said a run-off-road crash resulted in a fatality near Marnoo in 2016 where a female driver died.
There have also been recent near misses where a petrol tanker left the Western Highway and rolled in October last year and where a B-double slammed into a tree on the Donald-Stawell Road in November.
“There is certainly a high incident rate of these type of crashes,” Acting Sergeant Allen said.
“You may see many dints in the metal barriers along the Western Highway – they were fatalities many years ago, but those barriers have helped prevent more deaths.”
Acting Sergeant Allen also said fatigue would be a major focus in the police operation Amity which started on Thursday and will finish on Sunday.
“People will be driving long distances to get away for the long weekend, so we will have a visible police presence to enforce positive behaviour,” he said.
“You should be taking regular breaks every two hours, get a good sleep before you take off and make sure you are well hydrated and switched on to drive.”
Police will also be targeting speed, impaired driving for both drug and alcohol, distraction offences and seat belt compliance.
There have been 13 deaths on Victorian roads this year, the same figure compared to this time last year according to TAC road toll.
