Police watch the big wet

By Lilly O’Gorman
WILD weather and a recent road tragedy compelled police to issue warnings to drivers in the lead-up to the Queen’s Birthday weekend.
Cardinia Shire’s road toll, released this week, has tripled compared to police records from the same period the previous year.
Inspector Wayne Viney from the Pakenham police station warned drivers to take care in increasingly wet conditions.
“It looks like we are going to have a proper wet winter this year, which is something drivers haven’t experienced for quite a few years,” Insp Viney said.
“All drivers need to slow down, drive to the conditions and pay attention. There were more than 500 people at Beaconhills College last week for the funeral of a young, local woman.
It reminds us that these tragedies don’t just affect one person, but families, friends and colleagues.
They have a massive impact on the whole community.”
Cardinia’s road toll has tripled but serious injuries are down according to the police accident report from last year.
Between last May and this April, a total of 685 collisions were tallied by police in Cardinia.
Eight fatal collisions were recorded on our roads in the last year, including a double fatal which left the road toll standing at nine – a 300 per cent increase from the previous year.
Insp Viney said 78 serious injury collisions, in which someone was admitted to hospital, occurred – a decrease from 80 in the previous year.
Non-injury collisions such as car park scrapes and bingles made up most of the numbers at 465 and injury collisions stood at 134.
Fatal collisions included four drivers aged under 21, four aged over 50 and one 29-year-old driver.
According to Insp Viney the reasons smashes happen are varied but the major factors include speed, inattention to driving and failure to give way. Many collisions involved just one car.
Of the 78 serious injury collisions, 31 injured the driver and passengers were hurt in 10 smashes.
Insp Viney named motorcyclists as a major concern on the road as they accounted for 23 of the serious injury collisions.
Motorcyclists are currently being targeted by the police operation ‘Solo Safe’ which is both enforcing road rules and educating motorcyclists on the road.
Operation Aegis will also be in full swing on local roads over the Queen’s Birthday public holiday weekend.
The statewide operation will see an increased police presence on the road across the weekend, especially focussed on holidaymakers travelling on the South Gippsland Highway.
Insp Viney said increased police presence and continued enforcement was crucial to maintain a low number of serious injury collisions and reduce road deaths.
“The morgue is full of people who think they are good drivers, but all it takes is one mistake.”