There were reminders again this week of how dangerous car crashes can be, even when they occur at low speeds.
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Whatever the cause – whether it be driver error, alcohol, driver fatigue or hooning – the Grampians region continues to see incidents happening.
Drivers need to be more careful when on the road.
There have been 48 deaths on the state’s roads this year, down from 75 at the same point last year. However, more can still be done in regional areas.
Reporters are often required to attend crash scenes and most can tell stories of horrific incidents they have seen on country highways.
A quick discussion around the offices of the Stawell Times-News and Ararat Advertiser revealed it does not take high speed or dangerous driving for a crash to have the most severe consequence.
One reporter spoke about how, in his second year on the job, he attended a scene in NSW where a seatbelt was the difference between life and death.
A man pulling into an intersection on a 60km/h section of road was t-boned and tragically ejected through the open driver’s window.
The impact killed the man.
The death was brought to mind by the single vehicle crash on Stawell’s Patrick Street – also a 60km/h zone – and which resulted in a car rolling onto its roof.
Police investigated the incident and on Friday said it was likely caused by a medical condition, but the car flipping onto its roof serves as a warning that crashes are unpredictable, just as a man being thrown through a window was also unlikely.
These incidents are a stark reminder of the dangers of driving.
Worse than these incidents are those on the highways, in 100km/h zones, at high speeds where the damage is far greater.
Too often fatigue is an issue, with travellers not taking a break and finding themselves in collisions with other vehicles. The worst of these involve trucks, when vehicles drift across lanes and cause head-on crashes. Although the truckies have the protection of their large vehicle, not so the car drivers.
One reporter has seen three such crashes and in all cases the drivers were killed on impact, or soon after arriving at hospital.
So remember to stay safe on the roads and be cautious – it is better to put a premium on arriving safely, rather than arriving quickly.