Mornington Peninsula police to flood roads as road toll rises
With three people killed on Mornington Peninsula roads in the first weeks of 2020, police warn motorists they risk “not arriving” at all as they race to save a few minutes. And with new speed limits now on 38 roads, extra officers are gunning for speeders.
South East
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After a horror start to the year on Mornington Peninsula’s roads, police have vowed to saturate the area in coming weeks.
Speeding and reckless driving will be targeted as part of the operation which will see Highway Patrol and general duties police focus on road safety.
Acting Inspector Miro Majstorovic said 12 people sadly lost their lives on peninsula roads last year and there have been three fatalities already this year.
“We absolutely do not want to see this kind of trauma continue on our roads,” Acting Insp Majstorovic said.
“Police have been working closely with the local council and the community to look at ways we can reduce road trauma.”
On February 1 a woman died following a horror collision between a car she was a passenger in and a tow truck in Tuerong.
On January 13 two Chilean backpackers were killed in Rye when the hatchback they were passengers in smashed into a ute.
There were two double fatality crashes and two motorbike rider deaths among the 2019 road toll.
“Late last year a two-year speed reduction trial was implemented on 38 high-risk roads in the Mornington Peninsula,” Acting Insp Majstorovic said.
At the time, Mayor Sam Hearn said there had been 165 casualty crashes on local rural sealed roads.
In 2019 there were more than 100 serious injuries and seven deaths on the high-risk roads.
A/Insp Majstorovic said the reduced speed limits are now in place and will be enforced by police.
“As part of our high visibility patrols, police will be proactively patrolling roads where the speed limit has been lowered to 80km per hour to ensure that everyone is doing the right thing,” he said.
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While an increased police presence should help, Acting Insp Majstorovic said it was ultimately up to drivers to be smart and use common sense.
“Not arriving at your destination isn’t worth the two minutes in time you gain from speeding or not driving to the conditions,” he said.
“Police are hopeful the increased visibility will remind drivers to make good decisions and reduce the trauma on our roads.”
The road toll for Victoria is currently 30 compared to 32 at the same time last year.
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