Victoria braces for road trauma as cops urge motorists to take care ahead of holiday danger period
Victoria is about to go into a danger zone for road safety and police are warning motorists to take care, as they expect a spike in road deaths in the coming weeks.
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Police are pleading with Victorian motorists to take care ahead of an expected spike in road deaths in the coming weeks.
The Christmas and New Year period always sees a rise in the number of fatal and serious-injury crashes — and the danger zone this year approaches after a huge increase in deaths on the roads throughout 2019.
Victoria Police and Royal Melbourne Hospital have partnered to highlight the road trauma often overlooked — the survivors of crashes whose lives are changed forever.
Road policing command Assistant Commissioner Libby Murphy said officers were always affected when attending serious accidents.
“Any attendance at a fatal collision is traumatic for the family, bystanders and emergency service workers. They are often very confronting scenes, and no one wants to be the one who has to make the knock on the door to tell a loved one that their lives are going to change forever.”
Police would this holiday season focus strongly on impaired driving, she said.
“Sadly police and emergency services have had to attend 257 fatal collisions this year, not to mention the thousands of collisions that have resulted in serious injury,” Ms Murphy said. “We want everyone to be at the Christmas dinner table. Please be aware, slow down, drive carefully and be courteous to other drivers.”
This time last year there 203 road deaths.
Trauma surgeon Rose Shakerian told the Herald Sun of the despair she felt when she saw patients each day with the same preventable injuries.
“This trauma doesn’t have to happen … some is accidental, but the sort we see so often come from making bad choices,” Dr Shakerian said. That was often speeding, not wearing a safety belt or using a mobile phone while driving. The results were devastating.
“It’s a shock for the patients as they never thought it would happen to them. The long-term consequences aren’t thought of … they are lucky to survive, but the cost to them and their loved ones is huge.”
Her message to motorists was simple. “You aren’t invincible and you have a choice.”
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Warburton couple Cheryl and Martin Meehan narrowly survived a 2017 crash. A P-plater veered into their lane and collided with them head-on.
Their list of injuries is staggering — broken ribs, collapsed lungs and serious internal injuries. And both have lost count of the number of operations they’ve had, and still require.
“I had to learn to walk again and was in a coma for three weeks. I woke up and saw the date and thought it was wrong,” Mrs Meehan said. Both are grateful to be alive., but will never be the same.