Road fatality just hours into 2013
Less than five hours into the New Year Rockingham recorded its first road fatality for 2013.
It was not the start Peel traffic police were hoping for after two deaths on Rockingham roads last year.
This year’s first fatality came when a 17-year-old male was killed in alleged hit-and-run on Ennis Avenue at 4.30am.
Peel Traffic Sen. Sgt Darryl Brandis said just one fatality was unacceptable.
“As much as we’ve got a lot of campaigns to try and reduce that, whether its enforcement, education or legislation, we’re really aiming to get to zero,” he said.
Sen. Sgt Stuart Mearns said statistics revealed an over-representation of fatalities on regional roads.
“Regional WA is that open stretch of road where there are single-vehicle accidents where there’s no explanation other than driver error, so that’s really frustrating for us,” he said.
Sen. Sgt Brandis said Peel traffic police conducted Operation Crossroads over the Christmas and New Year period and stopped more than 3000 vehicles.
He said 31 drivers recorded a positive alcohol reading.
“That means for 1 per cent of people, the message isn’t getting through,” he said.
“That 1 per cent doesn’t sound like much, but 31 people driving around with that much alcohol in their system is still enough to cause an accident.”
Sen. Sgt Brandis said the road safety message had helped reduce fatalities over the past five years, but there was still a long way to go.
A Main Roads spokesman said projects funded included a roundabout at Safety Bay and Boundary roads and a turn slip at Patterson Avenue and Pedlar Court.
Modifications had been made to signals and turning lanes at Mandurah and Dixon roads and Gilmore Avenue.
