Cars v property incidents near 200
A Baldivis couple showered with bricks when a learner driver smashed through their bedroom wall say they feel lucky to be alive, as police revealed they have investigated almost 200 incidents of cars crashing into properties in the past two years.
Mark Simpson, 42, and partner Stacey Welsh, 22, were woken by an "almighty bang" when the black Mazda 3 sedan drove through the front wall of their Burlington Drive rental about 12.20am yesterday and into the foot of their bed.
"You sort of wake up thinking it's a dream," Mr Simpson said yesterday. "Then you keep on looking around and you realise that there's bricks on you, car headlights shining in the room, the engine's still running. You hear people screaming."
The 18-year-old driver allegedly failed to negotiate a bend and mounted a kerb before careening into the house. Police expect to charge her with several traffic offences and will investigate whether, as a learner driver, she had appropriate supervision.
Mr Simpson and Ms Welsh had cuts and bruises on their legs while the teenage driver and her passengers were not injured.
Concerned by recent incidents, police are starting to analyse crashes where vehicles hit homes, perimeter walls and even trees or gardens on properties.
Assistant Commissioner Nick Anticich said road safety messages focused on road users, including drivers and occupants of vehicles, cyclists or pedestrians.
"But now people who think they are safe in their homes and away from many of the menaces we see on the road are being impacted," he said. "We can enforce laws but road users need to take more responsibility and think of the consequences of dangerous, reckless or impaired driving."
Eight-month-old Nate Dunbar was killed when a drunk driver crashed into his bedroom in January last year. After the driver was jailed, his parents Stacy and Justin and _The West Australian _launched a road safety campaign in his name.
Grandfather Ben Dikkema died in his bed in February 2011 when he was crushed beneath roof tiles, beams and bricks after a driver lost control and ploughed into his Safety Bay home.
Research has identified 195 instances of vehicles crashing into properties since May 2012.
In the 64 cases where the vehicle went into a home, preliminary data shows 12 were alcohol-related and six were not. In the other 46, police did not have evidence of serious offending behaviour.
Mr Anticich said there were 28 WA suburbs where there was more than one report of vehicles hitting properties and 116 suburbs had one recorded incident.
Dianella is a hotspot, with six incidents in the past two years. Mandurah, Thornlie, Rockingham and Gosnells each had five.
