Most of this year’s road deaths ‘completely preventable’: police
Victoria’s top cop has revealed the “flabbergasting” reason behind one-fifth of this year’s fatal crashes, as police crack down on bad road behaviour across the Australia Day long weekend.
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Victoria’s top road cop says nine out of this year’s 15 road fatalities were preventable, and motorists not wearing seatbelts was an alarming trend.
It comes as the state’s road toll is 55 per cent up on lives lost this time last year.
Assistant Commissioner of the Road Policing Command Libby Murphy said she was “gobsmacked” three Victorians who had died this year had not been wearing a seatbelt.
“It is flabbergasting, this is not rocket science,” AC Murphy told the Herald Sun.
“Wearing a seatbelt is like wearing a lifejacket in a car, it can save you.
“These are three people who most likely would not have died if they were wearing a seatbelt.”
Police believe this year three people have died due to speeding, one died due to alcohol consumption, one due to drugs and one died due to an unauthorised driver.
Police will crack down on drug and drink driving over the Australia Day long weekend as part of Operation Amity.
Starting today, the four day blitz across the state will also target seatbelt offences, fatigue, speeding and driver distraction.
“We will be saturated the roads, we will be handing out tickets,” AC Murphy said.
“If you do the wrong thing you will get caught.”
The top road cop said she was grappling with the lack of outrage in the community over the state’s road toll.
“If there was fifteen homicides this year, people would be up in arms,” AC Murphy said.
“You can imagine the outrage, people would say ‘this is terrible, what are police doing’ about it.
“This is completely preventable. I don’t want there to be anymore deaths on our roads.”
Ms Murphy said it was extremely lucky a hit-run involving a stolen vehicle in Pakenham on Tuesday night was not a quadruple fatality.
A mother and her three passengers, aged 13, 11 and 10, were struck head-on by a Toyota sedan. The driver fled the scene on foot and remains outstanding.
“Every accident is an inch away from a fatality, stop being in a hurry, pay attention, get of your phone,” she said.
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“If someone behaves badly, be the better person. It’s not worth not making it home to your family.”
Last year police detected more than 6500 traffic offences during the operation including more than 2200 for speeding and 371 for drink and drug driving.