Drivers urged to take care after a horror week on roads

Traffic and Highway Patrol officers are urging motorists to slow down and take care following a horror week on NSW roads. In the week between 27 October and 2 November, police across the state attended eight different crashes resulting in the deaths of nine people. A further three people died in two separate crashes on Tuesday 3 November - one occurring 35km north of Dubbo, about 10pm, where a northbound sedan and a southbound B-double had collided on the Newell Highway at Eumungerie. The sedan was then struck by a second B-double, also travelling north. A man and woman travelling in the sedan died at the scene. The drivers of the two heavy vehicles escaped injury and were taken to Dubbo Base Hospital for mandatory testing. Overall 291 people have died on NSW roads this year to date and police have attended thousands of crashes across the state. Minister for Police and Counter-terrorism Yasmin Catley said police can issue fines, suspend licences and take dangerous drivers off NSW roads, but they cannot make the decision to slow down for you. “Nine people have died on NSW roads in just one week. That means nine families are now facing the unimaginable heartbreak of losing someone they love," she said. “I was shocked to learn that one vehicle was clocked travelling at 216km/h in an 80km/h zone: this is beyond reckless and it was a decision that put every other person on that road at risk. “Our Traffic and Highway Patrol Command officers are out there every day trying to prevent these tragedies. They're also the ones who have to knock on a family's door and deliver the worst news imaginable. “As we head towards Christmas, the NSW Government and NSW Police are asking every driver to think about the people waiting for them at home. No appointment, no deadline and no destination is worth a life,” Minister Catley said. Traffic and Highway Patrol Commander, Assistant Commissioner David Driver said speed was consistently a key factor when it came to the survival of road users during a crash. “The reality is crashing at speed is fatal for many people and it’s avoidable. The faster a vehicle is travelling at impact, the greater the risk of death and serious injury," he said.