Crashes and fatalities on Wyndham roads are on the rise.
There were 187 crashes, including six fatalities, in the seven months to the end of July, compared with 173 crashes and four fatalities in the corresponding period last year.
The month of May was the worst in Wyndham in 2016, with 44 crashes reported.
In the year to date, 45 crashes have resulted in ‘serious injury’, meaning people were admitted to hospital. There have been 97 ‘minor injury’ crashes.
Neighbouring municipalities Hobsons Bay (97), Maribyrnong (108) and Melton (129) have all seen a reduction on last year’s numbers.
Westgate police highway patrol’s Senior Sergeant Damien Madden said rear-end crashes were the main factor in road trauma statistics in Wyndham.
“We have more and more people living here, which means there are more people on the roads, making them more congested,” Senior Sergeant Madden said.
“This is definitely a contributing factor to why we’re seeing higher levels. If people are in a hurry, they need to relax and calm down.
“You’re not going to get anywhere quicker by exceeding the speed limit or overtaking. You’re just going to increase your frustration levels, which means higher risk of a crash.”
He said distracted driving also led to rear-end collisions. He urged drivers to avoid using their mobile phones while driving. “Get a hands-free kit, but don’t even think about messaging or using Facebook behind the wheel.”
‘Impaired’ driving – driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol – also contributed to the rising number of crashes, he said.
“We have a strong physical presence out on the roads and we’re testing for alcohol and drugs,” he said. “The message we have for drivers out there is that it isn’t worth the risk from a perspective of your own health and safety, let alone the risk to others on the roads.”
Senior Sergeant Madden said Victoria Police had a road safety strategy to reduce the number of fatal and serious injury crashes across the state by 30 per cent by 2022.
The chairman of Roadsafe Westgate, Jim Giddings, said the numbers were concerning. “A fundamental contributor to the road toll is speed. If drivers slowed down, there would be a lot less crashes. Our motto is that a zero toll should be our goal. Driving isn’t a game; speed kills. There’s no other way of putting it.”
At the time Star Weekly went to print, the state’s road toll was 206 for the year – 31 more than the same time last year.
