“Stop!”: Tasmania Police traffic cop’s close call caught on tape
Newly-released body cam footage shows a dangerous act Tasmania Police commonly face on the state’s roads. WATCH >>
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Newly-released body cam footage has revealed the dangers Tasmania Police face when conducting traffic stops on the states roads.
The released footage coincides with National Road Safety Week which is focused on the theme; ‘Protect our Protectors’.
The campaign calls for road users to slow down to protect those who the community – including Tasmania Police officers.
The shocking footage shows a white sedan which appears to not heed an officer’s warning to stop at a traffic stop. The officer wearing the body camera is forced to jump out of the road of the vehicle – all the while yelling “stop” and gesturing with his hands for the car to slow down.
Inspector Darren Hopkins hoped the footage would drive home the point that it is a legal requirement to slow down to 40km/h when approaching an emergency vehicle with lights flashing.
“This road rule was introduced in December 2019 to help keep first responders safe when attending incidents and emergencies on our roads, but unfortunately examples like this are all too common,” he said.
“Rule 79a applies when approaching any stationary or slow-moving emergency vehicle with lights flashing, whatever direction you are travelling in, unless there is a dividing barrier.”
According to police, 472 people were proceeded against for breaking that law in the last financial year.
“We’re reminding all Tasmanians to slow down, so police and other emergency workers can do their jobs and help others, without putting their own lives on the line,” Insp Hopkins said. - Jack Evans
New law implemented amid road safety blitz
MOTORISTS will be required to slow to 40km/h when passing roadside assistance vehicles as part of a government crackdown on road safety.
Infrastructure and Transport Minister Michael Ferguson said the law, which currently applies to emergency vehicles would be extended and penalties enhanced.
“As part of National Road Safety Week, I am pleased to announce that on 1 August 2022 the new rule will come into force meaning roadside assistance workers conducting call-out or breakdown assistance, towing, battery replacement and other on-road support services will now also have this protection.
“It’s important we all slow down to protect those who protect and assist us, and whose workplace is the road.
“Just like the current rule which requires drivers to safely slow to 40 km/h when passing any stationary or slow-moving emergency vehicle with red, blue, or magenta flashing lights, now roadside assistance vehicles with flashing yellow lights will also get the same protection.”
Safer Australian Roads and Highways president Peter Frazer lost his 23-year-old daughter when an inattentive truck driver ploughed into her and a tow truck driver in 2012.
He called on people to take a personal pledge to drive safely.
“People want to have their loved ones get home safe every day without exception,” he said.
“So this National Road Safety Week, let’s focus on ensuring that by not speeding, by not being distracted at the wheel, by not drink driving.
“If we start to look at the fatal five and say, I’m going to do that, I’m going to abide by that and then go to roadsafetyweek.com.au you and take a pledge.
‘There’s no email addresses. It’s you making a personal commitment to say, ‘I’m going to look after everyone. I’m going to drive so others survive’.”
RACT CEO Mark Mugnaioni said extending the law to cover roadside assist workers was a great contribution to road safety.
“We attend more than 60,000 jobs every year, of which about 12,000 are in high speed environments,” he said.
“And it’s absolutely critical to protect not only our own staff, but also those members who we are there to save by the side of the road. It’s a fantastic addition to the legislation and one that we’re delighted to see at the RACT. – David Killick
‘Russian roulette’: Truckie reveals deadly risks of daily life on the road
ROGER, a Hobart-based truck driver of 30 years, drives his route from Hobart to Ulverstone to Devonport and back to Hobart almost daily.
A well-positioned fly on the wall among Tasmania’s motorists, Roger believes a week in a truck on Tasmanian highways would be an eye-opener for many.
“Spend a week in a truck it will open your eyes to driving up and down the Midland Highway,” he said.
While it may be an educative excise, it’s the “nightmare” situation Roger – and many other Tasmanian truckies – deal with constantly.
He said P-platers and mainlanders give him grief more than any other road users.
“Mate, I’m starting to question what the testing is,” he said in reference to some of the younger drivers he has witnessed on the roads.
Roger, who did not want his last name published, has seen it all from tailgating, cutting in, overtaking on double white lines and speeding through country towns.
He said there were plenty of known death spots around the state, including a notorious corner on the Bass Highway near Deloraine, but even the knowledge of past drivers’ peril does not appear to change behaviour.
“That corner is a known death spot – they still do it, they still overtake there,” he said.
“Don’t get me wrong, the roads are not what I’d consider up to standard. The thing is, you drive to the conditions.
“But people won’t no matter what you say or do. I had (a P-plater) the other day drive up on the right-hand side of me in between the guardrail and my truck.
As a result of his all-too-common anecdotes of poor driving behaviour he experiences at work, Roger’s wife is constantly in contact with him to check he’s OK.
“She’s even got me ringing when I get to the other end,” he said. “It’s a bit like Russian roulette. Every day’s a bullet and you don’t know which one you’re going to cop.”
Roger said there seemed to be a lack of police on major roads and believed a highway patrol policing system would make a major difference.
“I’ve got an 11-year-old and they’re screaming to go for a ride in the truck like they used to, but it’s just not worth the risk,” he said. – Jack Evans
The days of second chances are over for Tassie drivers, cops warn
Dangerous drivers will no longer be let off with a warning in Tasmania, as police take the drastic step of issuing infringement notices on the spot.
It comes amid a horror year on the state’s roads, with the death toll currently standing at 26.
From Monday, Tasmania Police will be out in force, zeroing in on dangerous driving across the island in a series of “large-scale traffic blitzes” that will coincide with the beginning of National Road Safety Week.
“Now there will be no second chances, with police no longer issuing cautions for traffic offences (in) relation to the ‘fatal five’ offences – speeding, distraction, drink and drug driving, fatigue and not wearing seatbelts,” a statement from police said.
The change will be indefinite.
Tasmania Police Assistant Commissioner Operations Jonathan Higgins said initial investigations suggested that 8 of the 26 road fatalities in 2022 involved speed as a contributing factor, 3 involved alcohol or drugs and a further 3 involved distraction.
“Enough is enough. We need to change people’s driving behaviour, and police – in partnership with the community – will be doing everything we can to help keep our roads safe,” Assistant Commissioner Higgins said.
“These are not ‘accidents’. We all need to be making the right choices, every single time we get behind the wheel.”
Tasmania Police is implementing a new traffic policing model from July 1, bolstering traffic policing across the state with a dedicated highway patrol.
“Importantly, we’re not waiting until July to ramp up our traffic enforcement efforts,” Assistant Commissioner Higgins said.
“Going forward we’ll be increasing our high-visibility presence on the roads, and there’ll be no second chances.
“We will be out on the roads and highways. You will see us. You should expect to be pulled over. And if you’re doing the wrong thing, you will be issued with an infringement notice on the spot.”
If you witness dangerous driving, you can report it to police on 131 444. If it’s an emergency or life-threatening situation, call triple-zero (000). – Rob Inglis
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