Fatal road safety probe

By Jade Lawton
A FATAL collision in Cockatoo on Friday has sparked a police investigation into the safety of Woori Yallock Road.
The collision, on Woori Yallock Road about 100 metres south of Bedford Road, is the third smash on that stretch of road in two months.
It was also one of several crashes in the hills within the same hour, as motorists struggled to negotiate the roads in wet conditions.
Two men were travelling north on a hunting expedition, with beagles and firearms in the back, when the Landrover Discovery left the road and hit a tree at 2.45pm.
The male passenger, a 42-year-old South Morang man, was killed and the driver, a Murrumbeena man in his mid-sixties, was airlifted to the Alfred Hospital with serious injuries.
An acquaintance of the pair, driving in front of the vehicle, witnessed the smash in his rear view mirror.
Acting Sergeant Anthony Templar, of Cardinia’s Traffic Management Unit, said the smash was only 30 metres or so from the scene of another crash a week before.
“This is a notorious corner,” he said.
“We are looking for any correlation between the accidents. All aspects are being investigated and will be included in a brief for the coroner.
“It was raining heavily, and when it starts raining that is the most dangerous time, when the oil and dirt hasn’t been washed off the road,” he said. The death was the fifth fatality on the states roads in just 24 hours, bringing the road toll up to 102.
Acting Senior Sargeant Graham Higginbotham said motorists should take care in the winter weather.
“With the change of weather, we ask motorists to take care, make sure their vehicles are roadworthy and ensure they are driving to the weather conditions,” he said.