Survive the drive: Tasmania drivers dicing with death

Tasmania’s highest ranking police officer is warning there’ll be “no second chances” for fatal five offences as a series of near-misses show the dangerous driving on our roads. VIDEO >>

• Crash investigator’s emotional burden from fatal crashes
• Road crashes ‘can cut the heart out of a community’

TASMANIA’S highest ranking police officer is promising increased patrols and enforcement of a “no second chances” policy for fatal five offences as part of a campaign to reduce road accident trauma.

“This is my call to everyone on Tasmanian roads; enough is enough,” Police Commissioner Donna Adams told the Mercury, as part of the Survive the Drive campaign.

Ms Adams said her fear was that warnings on road safety were no longer being heard – but that attitudes must change.

“Stop taking risks. Don’t let personal frustrations cloud your judgment,” she said.

“The text message can wait. Saving a few minutes is not worth endangering lives.

“If you’re on the road, please heed our advice and drive so everyone survives.”

Donna Adams Tasmania Police Commissioner. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

In her appeal to drivers on Tasmanian roads, Ms Adams has outlined measures police are taking to improve road safety.

“As the Mercury has been showcasing all week with its Survive the Drive campaign, serious and fatal crashes are having a significant and wide-reaching impact across Tasmania,” Ms Adams said.

“It is clear that as a community, we are weary. Some of us are grieving, others are simply tired of hearing the tragic stories of lives cut short or severely affected.

“As police, we have taken a back-to-basics approach to address the problem – ramping up our enforcement efforts and taking cautions off the table for fatal five offences.

“That means there are no second chances if you’re caught speeding, drink or drug-driving, not wearing a seatbelt, or illegally using a mobile phone.

“If you are caught doing the wrong thing, you will face the consequences.

“We have also introduced a new highway patrol and restructured our road policing unit, so we now have one of the highest ratios of traffic police in the country.”

Sergeant Nicholas Hodgkinson demonstrating one of the deterrents, a radar speed gun

Ms Adams said despite police efforts, statistics show road tragedies were still occurring.

It was a source of frustration and disappointment, she said.

“Our police officers are often frustrated after being told to “go and do something important” when conducting traffic checks and enforcing the road rules,” Ms Adams said.

“These same people claim officers are “revenue raising” when they’re out on the roads cracking down on people doing the wrong thing.

“The truth is, our officers are in the job because they want to keep people safe, and all too often they see the terrible outcomes that occur when someone thinks their own driving ability puts them above the rules. They see what happens when a P-plater believes they can travel faster than the experts deem safe.

“They deal with the aftermath when a mum thinks they can send a text and still focus on the road.

“They pick up the pieces when a grandad overtakes on double white lines.

“These people believe it won’t happen to them, until it does.”

Got dashcam footage of dangerous driving? Submit it to the police evidence portal atpolice.tas.gov.au/report/

Originally published as Survive the drive: Tasmania drivers dicing with death