‘Legal and moral obligation’: Question cops will ask to curb road deaths in September

In hopes of this month being less deadly that last September on NSW roads, NSW Police will be asking motorists one simple question when they are pulled over for drug and alcohol testing.

Katie Dokmanovic is the mum of 18 year old Nicholas Hoenselaars who was killed in a high-speed crash on Christmas Eve 2020, when the car he was passenger in hit a telegraph pole at 150km/h. Picture: Richard Dobson

Motorists pulled over for random drug and alcohol testing during the next three days can expect to answer questions about how tired they are, in a desperate police bid to stop this month being as deadly as last September.

From midnight Wednesday until 4am Sunday, NSW Police officers will saturate streets across NSW with stationary and mobile random breath and drug testing - and will speak to drivers about their fatigue levels.

They’re hoping to reduce the risk that comes with more people out on the roads as the weather warms up.

During September 2023, 32 people lost their lives – one less than the September the previous year – on roads in both regional and metropolitan areas of the state.

Of those 32 fatalities in 2023, 22 people died within a 14-day period.

Katie Dokmanovic doesn’t want any other parents to go through the grief she lives every day since the death of her son Nicholas Hoenselaars. Picture: Richard Dobson

Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander, Acting Assistant Commissioner David Driver, said it was concerning that during the month of September over the last two years there was an increase in the number of lives lost.

“With the weather warming up in early September, it is likely more people will be out on the roads and therefore the risk increases,” he told The Daily Telegraph.

“If you are using our roads you have a legal and moral obligation to get to your destination without injuring or killing another human being. We are certainly out there working very hard to make sure people are not only not drinking and driving or have illicit drugs in their system while behind the wheel but they’re also not being distracted by mobile phones and that they understand the importance of adequate sleep.”

The main causes of fatalities are speed, fatigue then alcohol and drugs.

“Fatigue is a very challenging area to target so we will be asking drivers where they have come from, how far they have travelled, how far they are intending to travel and ask them about their fatigue levels,” Assistant Commissioner Driver said.

Operation RAID will also see an increase in officers on NSW roads targeting drink driving, drug driving and fatigue – three major contributors to the state’s annual road toll. Picture: AAP

“There is a misapprehension that fatigue is only limited to long journeys but it can hit at any time, on any journey.

“If people have a late night, not necessarily drinking alcohol, or an early morning, or have played sport, worked hard physically, or even mentally drained from their day, they can experience fatigue and therefore they are a risk on the roads.”

Operation RAID - which stands for Remove All Impaired Drivers - will push people to think about their own behaviour.

“Even if we reduce the number of deaths on our roads, that’s cold comfort to the families who have already lost someone. We have a target of zero and everyone has a role to play in that.”

Katie Dokmanovic is one of those mums who got the dreaded police call that her 18-year-old son Nicholas had died when the car he was travelling in crashed at high speed into a power pole and split in two in Western Sydney on Christmas Eve 2020.

“I thought ‘What am I faced with when I walk into that morgue and identify him?” she said at the time.

Acting Assistant Commissioner David Driver says we all have a role to play in reducing the number of fatal accidents on our roads. Picture: Jenny Evans

Today Ms Dokmanovic works with the Road Trauma Support Group to help other families who are faced with the devastation of a fatal car crash and the loss of a loved one.

“I don’t want to meet another broken hearted mum or dad or sibling and have to console them and help them through the process. It’s horrific,” she said, adding the NSW Police campaign should be applauded.

“I don’t think it ever gets easier. As bereaved parents and someone who works in this space we support police and we support these targeted actions, the more visibility the less chance there is for more deaths to occur,” she said.

“People will think twice, they will adjust their behaviour. Because I can tell you that while no two incidents are never going to be the same, the pain and heart ache at the end is always the same.

“That gaping hole in your soul every day when you wake up. I can’t put into words how that feels every day.”

So far this year there have been 205 fatal crashes on NSW roads, resulting in 226 deaths. At this time last year there were 195 fatal crashes which had resulted in 221 deaths.

Police will be conducting breath tests and drug testing across NSW in the next three days in a bid to curb the road toll. Picture: AAP

Minister for Police Yasmin Catley said the Government supports the work of the NSW Police Force, including high-visibility operations such as RAID, to address road trauma.

“Drivers will see plenty of officers on the roads, enforcing the law and helping to ensure we all reach our destination safely,” Minister Catley said.

“Too many people have lost their lives on our roads this year. Police are doing everything they can to address the increased trauma, including operations such as RAID, but we all have a role to play in getting ourselves, our passengers and other road users home alive,” she said.

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