NSW road toll down after multi-death collisions reduced by new police traffic tactics

The state’s top traffic cop says new tactics stopping multi-death collisions and some serious soul searching inside NSW Police have helped make our roads safer this year.

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The state’s top traffic cop says new tactics stopping multi-death collisions and some serious soul searching inside NSW Police have helped make our roads safer this year.

As it was revealed the number of deaths fell by 36 and serious injuries plummeted on NSW roads in 2018, Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy said there was still much work to do but things were heading in the right direction.

Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy. Picture: Monique Harmer

As of last night, there were 353 deaths on NSW roads, down from 389 in 2017.

Final crash data is still being collated but The Daily Telegraph can also reveal the government will this week announce a drop of more than 1100 in the number of serious injuries from road crashes.

Mr Corboy said the key to bringing down the road toll was a 40-death reduction on rural roads, where many of his 1500 highway patrol officers have deliberately focused on notorious areas.

“Because we’ve reduced ­casualties in rural areas by 40, we’re not having these big hits where three or five people are getting killed,” he said.

Mr Corboy said three years of crash data had been used to map the heaviest collisions in the state and focus patrols and breath testing on the hot spots.

“So we use real time intelligence work out where to have these operations,” he said. “Those people might not have seen the cops for a while, so they jump into a ute after a few beers and crash into a tree.”

Mr Corboy said the horror 2017 road toll prompted some serious reflection from police: “It really stung last year. We took it personally … Nobody wants to see anyone killed on our roads but that’s 36 families that aren’t grieving this year.”