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Vol. 17 No. 38
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Wednesday, April 1, 2015
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WHAT’S THE FUSS? Kelpie puppy Taren enjoys the care of Horsham Paws’ Ann Jardine, left, and Carolyn Stow. Taren, also called Kate, a stray in Horsham, was the subject of a community rescue project after being hit by a car. Story, page 5. Picture: DEAN LAWSON
Police road warning BY DEAN LAWSON
P
olice have pin-pointed driver fatigue as a primary danger on Wimmera roads this Easter as they prepare for a major build-up of holiday traffic through the region.
Divisional traffic advisor Senior Sergeant Guin Cleminson stressed that fatigue remained one of the biggest killers on Victorian roads and urged travellers to avoid taking risks. She said police across the state would be out in force during the Easter break as part of Operation Crossroads and motorists should expect to be
stopped by police for a variety of checks. “Please plan your journey, make sure you take a break at least every two hours and don’t drive if you feel tired,” she said. She said Victorian police detected almost 9000 offences during the Easter long weekend last year. These included 261 for drink-driving, 76 for drugdriving, 3176 for speeding, 474 for using mobile phones, 426 for disobeying signs or signals and 291 involving seat belts. Police impounded 47 vehicles. “People can expect to have their number plates and licences checked, be breath-tested,
drug-tested and speed checked by all available police,” she said. “Motorists must stay within the speed limit, not drink or take drugs and drive, leave their mobile phones out of reach, use their seatbelts and make sure they are well rested. “If you shouldn’t be on the road, don’t take the risk. A momentary lapse in concentration, recklessness, distractions and inexperience can all have tragic results.” Sen Sgt Cleminson also spoke of the specific risks involved in motoring at Easter. “It is different to other holiday periods. People try to
squeeze that little bit more into a relatively short holiday timeframe and often underestimate the time needed for the trips they plan,” she said. “The reality is that they are often really busy up to the time that they have to leave on their holidays. They might have to cram a lot into a short time at work, don’t sleep as well as they might and then do this massive drive – often with kids on board. It is a recipe for fatigue. “Easter is historically a time of high risk on our roads. During the Easter long weekends between 2010 and 2014, 20 people have been killed and
more than 1300 injured. One person was killed and 189 injured last year. We want to see an end to the road trauma and will be out in force.”
Fatigue
Sen Sgt Cleminson said fatigue was hard to police. “That is why we need all motorists to take action on fatigue. Nodding off in front of the television doesn’t impact on lives, but if it happens while you are driving the consequences can be fatal. “Fatigue slows your reaction time and affects concentration and decision-making skills which are crucial to safe driving.”
Sen Sgt Cleminson recommended that drivers have 15-minute breaks at least every two hours while driving. “At the end of the day we just want people to safely get to where they are going. They should rotate drivers and stop for breaks and when they have a break they should walk around and get the blood flowing. “We expect the Western Highway and Grampians area in particular to be busy with a high volume of traffic. This means it might take people longer to get where they’re going. So factor that into your trip.”
IN THIS ISSUE • National gem show in Horsham • First World War books • Grampians trail progress Read it online: www.theweeklyadvertiser.com.au
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