A CAR that crashed at Officer on Friday morning was trying to beat rushhour traffic, police said.
The singlecar collision was one of several crashes on a busy day for emergency services in the area.
The car, driven by a 25yearold Hallam man, was heading east along the Princes Highway when it ran off the road and into a ditch just before the Officer Recreation Reserve.
Police said the driver had been attempting to overtake other cars by travelling along the gravel shoulder of the road.
Police, ambulance and road rescue workers spent more than an hour at the scene, retrieving the car.
Traffic in the area was also disrupted with the highway reduced to a single lane while emergency services cleared the scene.
On Friday evening, a 19yearold woman suffered head injuries when her car crashed into a tree in Maryknoll.
Police said the crash happened when the young woman’s car lost control in wet conditions while travelling along Snell Road at about 7.35 pm.
A 22yearold Berwick man was picked up by police at Beaconsfield when his car crashed in Adamson Road.
Police said the man had done a burnout when his steering wheel came loose and the vehicle hit a post.
Police said the man faced a penalty notice for driving an unroadworthy car. As well as a loose steering wheel, the car also had bald tyres, police said.