Five people have died in 24 hours in separate crashes on WA roads, as the state’s road toll sits at its highest year-to-date level in a decade.
WARNING: This article contains images some readers may find distressing.
WA Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner and WA Police Road Policing Commander Mike Peters both expressed their frustration over the rising death toll, as they urged all road users to take responsibility for their actions.
“It’s incredibly frustrating that we have these sustained levels of deaths on our roads,” Commissioner Warner said.
As tragic as the latest deaths were, he hoped they would serve as a “wake-up call” at the start of school holidays.
“We need to be conscious about the risks on the road. We need to be conscious about the choices we make when we get behind the wheel.
“All of these deaths are preventable if people make safer choices.”
Tragic 24 hours
The cluster of fatalities began about 3pm on Thursday when a 70-year-old man was killed when the motorcycle he was riding collided with a tow truck at an intersection in Australind, in Western Australia’s South West.
Just before 6am on Friday, a 40-year-old man was killed when the car he was driving collided with a truck towing three tailers in Mariginiup, an outer northern suburb of Perth.
About half an hour later, about 6:35am on Friday, a car struck a 51-year-old pedestrian in the eastern Perth suburb of Mundaring. The man died at the scene.
Four hours later in Serpentine, south-east of Perth, a male driver was killed when a 4WD struck a tree and caught alight.
A male driver died after his 4WD struck a tree on South Western Highway in Serpentine on Friday. (ABC News)
Another four hours later, about 2:30pm, a 64-year-old woman who was a passenger in a car that struck a tree in the southern Perth suburb of Alfred Cove was taken to hospital for her injuries. She later died in hospital.
A decade high
At this time last year, there had been 93 deaths on WA’s roads, compared to 103 this year — the highest figure in at least a decade.
But that figure will rise on Monday when the Road Safety Commission updates its figures to reflect the fatalities that happened over the weekend.
The WA Government has a road safety strategy, with a 2030 target of reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured by 50 to 70 per cent.
When taking into account the state’s growing population, estimated at around 3 per cent a year, Commissioner Warner said it meant the annual road death toll had plateaued.
“Population growth and the economic growth, which is good for our community and good for WA, is putting upward pressure on the road toll,” he said.
“So everything we’re doing — safer vehicles, constant enforcement — that’s keeping a lid on it.
“But it’s keeping the lid on a simmering pot … and we need to get it to move down.”
‘Absolutely tragic’
Commander Peters said the impact of road fatalities rippled far beyond the victims.
Commander Mike Peters says fatigue is a big risk factor heading into the school holidays. (ABC News: Briana Shepherd)
“That’s five people that won’t be at Christmas this year and five doors that had to be knocked on by our officers in the WA Police Force to make those absolutely tragic notifications,” Commander Peters said.
“I just want to reiterate speed, seatbelts, fatigue, alcohol and drugs and distraction remain to be over-represented in all these crashes.
“I’m not talking about the five [recent fatalities] specifically, but road deaths to this point are over-represented with those five factors.”
Commander Peters also made no apology for the increased police presence over the school holiday period.
“The West Australian Police are out in force this weekend, like they are every weekend, but because it’s school holidays, we have a heightened level of enforcement,” he said.
“And I don’t apologise for our officers in booze buses, in camera operations, in our highway patrols being out there and enforcing the law. I just ask the community to do your part.”
New cameras
Since January, the WA Government has installed cameras that use AI technology to detect bad driver behaviour at more that 100 locations across Perth.
WA road toll highest in eight years
The cameras, which the WA Government said are the most advanced in the country, are in a trial phase which means only cautions have been handed out so far.
Fines are due to be implemented in October, which authorities hope will lead to actual changes in behaviour.
“When we move into enforcement mode with these new cameras in a couple of months, we’re expecting a big shift in behaviour,” Commissioner Warner said.
“We don’t want the money. We want people to change their behaviour and save lives.”
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