South Australia Police is launching a month-long road safety blitz targeting dangerous road behaviour, including speeding and seatbelt breaches
September 30, 2011
South Australia Police is launching a month-long road safety blitz targeting dangerous road behaviour, including speeding and seatbelt breaches.
Assistant Commissioner Tony Harrison says police consider October to be a high-risk month due to the culmination of events such as Labour Day long weekend, school holidays and the AFL grand final.
Dubbed Operation Safe October, the blitz will include on-the-spot fines for speeding, drunk and drug driving, driver inattention and failing to wear seatbelts.
The Princes and Dukes highways will be heavily targeted by the police as drivers travel to Melbourne for the AFL.
The Motor Accident Commission (MAC) and the South Australian Ambulance Service have backed the police operation.
Ben Tuffnel, who leads the MAC’s corporate affairs unit, says everyone has a responsibility to drive safely on the roads.
“Motorists are required to be patient. Obey all road rules, drive the conditions of the road, plan your journey in advance and take time to get to your destination,” he says.
Last year’s crash statistics show 64 percent of all fatalities occurred on rural roads, and 64 percent of all fatalities were male.
The seven out of the 12 fatalities in October last year occurred in a rural area, with speed and dangerous driving being a factor in five of the incidents. Alcohol contributed to four of the crashes.
South Australia Police says of the six driver and passenger fatalities five were not wearing seatbelts.
