Winter driving warning

DRIVERS have been urged to exercise caution with wet weather having impacted road conditions in recent weeks.

Collie Senior Sergeant Michelle Cornwall said the message is “to drive safe to the conditions at the time”.

“If it’s heavy rain, the visibility is poor, drop your speed or pull over for a little bit,” Sgt Cornwall advised.

Sgt Cornwall said tyre wear is another factor that can contribute to accidents, with it important to be proactive when it comes to car maintenance.

“Check your tyres,” she said. “Make sure that there’s actually some grip on them, as there have been some accidents where the tyres have been really low.”

Sgt Cornwall additionally pointed to the importance of being courteous on the roads.

“Don’t be in a hurry,” she said. “Maybe plan your journey better, leave a little bit earlier, so that you’re not in a rush.”

There have also been a number of RBTs set up around town recently as part of continued efforts to ensure road safety.

Sgt Cornwall said police are aiming to test 80 drivers per day, and have been further increasing this number on long weekends.

“We’re very happy that most of them, probably a good 95 or more percent, are negative,” she said.

“We’ve only had a few that we’ve charged with drink driving. Most days we don’t get any drink drivers.”

“We should not allow those with extreme views to gain a foothold which would undermine our democracy. There are countries in the world which have completely dismantled any trace of democracy, where people are trying to set themselves up to be permanent heads of state, like in Ukraine and Southeast Asia.

“The USA is still grappling with the results of a presidential election from three years ago.

“We recently changed our government without so much as throwing a punch. This is something we should never take for granted.”