Cade Lucas
Emergency services have expressed alarm over the amount of serious road accidents in Wyndham.
The Werribee CFA rescue team say the situation has become so bad that for the first time they’re attending more vehicle crashes than fires in the municipality.
Werribee Fire Brigade spokesman and member for 60 years, Darryl Wells, said a spate of crashes late last month highlighted the depth of the problem.
“In a recent forty eight hour period fifteen calls were responded to by brigade members and eleven of those calls were to motor car accidents, two of those required the road crash rescue crew to cut free seriously injured patients.”
A pedestrian at Hoppers Crossing was killed when hit by an SUV on Thursday night, while on Sunday morning a single vehicle accident on Werribee St Bridge required rescue crews to free a seriously injured driver.
Mr Wells urged drivers to show more caution.
“Brigade members ask that drivers take care on our local roads.
“It is not the freeways and highways where the accidents happen, it is the local streets and roads where more people are injured and die.”
Victoria’s road toll currently stands at 146, which is 36 per cent higher than at this point last year.
Across the western suburbs there have been five fatalities this year, up from two in 2022.
Westgate Highway Patrol Senior Sergeant Andrew Whelan, said while road safety in Wyndham wasn’t any worse than the rest of the state, it was still a high priority.
“We have dedicated patrols and operations to target road safety in Wyndham, and this work will not stop,” Senior Sergeant Whelan said.
The extent of that work was made clear during Operation Regal over the King’s Birthday long weekend, where Wyndham recorded 97 speeding offences, 25 unregistered vehicles and nine drink drivers, far higher figures than neighbouring areas.
“This is really disappointing as it indicates that many motorists are continuing to take risks on our roads,” said Senior Sergeant Whelan who warned motorists of the grave consequences.
“We implore drivers to do the right thing – it only takes one poor decision and a split second to cause a tragedy.”
