Don’t be a road stat, says cop

More police will be out on the roads this Easter, ensuring everyone gets home safely to their families after the holiday.

The Easter campaign will be conducted from April 2-6 to reduce road trauma over what is traditionally a high-risk period.

Highway Patrol Senior Sergeant Ross Burbidge said Victoria Police would use a strategic and focused approach to target speed, alcohol and drug use, driver distraction, fatigue and seatbelts.

Police intelligence over the past three months shows speed and careless driving are among the leading causes of road trauma in Victoria.

RoadSafe Westgate Community Road Safety Council chairman Jim Giddings said it had been demonstrated time after time that speed was a contributing factor in most road crashes.

“Stay within the speed limit and drive to suit the conditions you are facing,” he said. “Speeding affects both the risk of a crash happening and the severity of injuries sustained when a crash does happen.”

Police in marked and unmarked vehicles will target our major arterial roads, freeways and highways throughout the state during the Easter holiday break.

Mr Giddings said the entire community had a responsibility and a role to play in reducing road trauma.

“Road trauma isn’t just about the people who die – it’s about the enormous impact on the community, from the family members, to the emergency services workers who have to deal with these tragedies on a daily basis, to the police who have to deliver the devastating news to loved ones,” he said.

The community can report speeding drivers to Crime stoppers on
1800 333 000.