Public Assistance Requested - Witnesses wanted for traffic crash

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Public Assistance Requested

Police are seeking the Geraldton public’s assistance in relation to a traffic crash that occurred today at 12:00pm, Tuesday 9 December 2014.

The crash between the motor vehicle and moped occurred at the intersection of Place Road and Flores Road, Wonthella.

Police are seeking assistance from members of the community who may have witnessed the crash to contact Senior Constable PEARS at the Mid- West Gascoyne Traffic office on 9923 4505.

Serious Vehicle Crash Update

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Geraldton Police have issued an update following a serious vehicle crash on Thursday December 4 2014. 

Police say:

  • A 34 year old Wandina man has been arrested. 
  • It is alleged the man was travelling south along NWCH. 
  • The driver lost control of the vehicle and it collided with a tree.
  • Four boys aged 4, 6, 7, 8 were passengers and were injured. 
  • The 7 year old received serious injuries. 
  • All of the children were taken to Princess Margaret Hospital by the Royal Flying Doctors. 

The man has been charged with the following:

  • Driving Under the Influence,
  • Three counts of Dangerous Driving Causing Grievous Bodily Harm 
  • One count of Dangerous Driving Causing Bodily Harm

Road Ribbon safety message for WA roads

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Police District Traffic Coordinator, Sergeant Peter Janczyk, with City of Greater Geraldton Deputy Mayor, Neil McIlwaine.

With the holiday season approaching, the City of Greater Geraldton is joining forces with the Western Australian Local Government Association (WALGA)’s RoadWise Program to take part in the Road Ribbon for Road Safety campaign.

From November 16th 2014, to January 5th 2015, the campaign aims to raise awareness of the importance of road safety over the Christmas/New Year holiday period, in Western Australia (WA).

To spread the word, the City is urging people to help raise awareness of road safety in WA to help eliminate accidents on the road during the festive season.

City of Greater Geraldton Deputy Mayor, Neil McIlwaine, said the Road Ribbon Road Safety message is an extremely important one that everyone should take on board.

“It goes without saying that accidents on the road, especially over the holiday period, can hit the community hard and we want to eliminate this happening,” he said.

“We don’t want to see any deaths on Mid West roads this holiday season.”

Local police are also reminding people of several important factors to take into account when they hit the roads this holiday period.

These things include a reminder to use seat belts, installing proper car restraints for children and infants, don’t speed, don’t drive while tired, don’t use mobile phones, don’t drink and drive, don’t drug drive and keep your vehicle maintenance up to date.

Police District Traffic Coordinator, Sergeant Peter Janczyk, said the Christmas and New Year period was one of the busiest times on the road and people need to be extremely cautious.

“As everyone prepares for the upcoming festivities of 2014 and 2015 we want you to always remember to slow down, avoid driving tired and don’t drink and drive,” he said.

“One death on the road is one too many and as a community we can put things in place to ensure that we keep road accidents to a minimum.”

The community is encouraged to take part in spreading the message by wearing a road ribbon which you can get for free from locations including the Geraldton Visitor’s Centre, the Civic Centre and Bright Stars Family Day Care in Tarcoola.

For more information about the RoadWise Program, visit http://www.roadwise.asn.au/road-ribbon-for-road-safety.aspx.

Bushfire still out of control - Brand Highway near Seven Mile Road

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Bushfire ADVICE for Brand Highway near Seven Mile Road, 10 kilometres north of Dongara in the Shire of Irwin
 
ALERT LEVEL:

A bushfire ADVICE has been issued for people travelling near Seven Mile Road, 10 kilometres north of Dongara in the Shire of Irwin.

  • You need to be aware and keep up to date.
  • There is no threat to lives or homes but there is a lot of smoke in the area.
  • Although there is no immediate danger you need to be aware and keep up to date in case the situation changes.
  • The fire is burning in thick scrub north of Seven Mile Road.
  • It is burning slowly in a southerly direction.
  • It is out of control and unpredictable.

WHAT TO DO:

  • Stay alert and monitor your surroundings.
  • Watch for signs of a bushfire, especially smoke and flames.
  • Close all doors and windows, and turn off evaporative air conditioners but keep water running through the system if possible.
  • Read through your bushfire survival plan.
  • If you do not have a plan decide what you will do if the situation gets worse.

 

ROAD CLOSURES:

Seven Mile Road is closed.

Motorists are asked to avoid the area, reduce speed and drive carefully due to smoke. 
 
WHAT FIREFIGHTERS ARE DOING:

  • Firefighters are monitoring the fire.

EXTRA INFORMATION:

  • The cause of the fire is lightning.
  • The Shire of Irwin is managing the fire.

    KEEP UP TO DATE:
    Visit www.dfes.wa.gov.au, call 13 DFES (13 3337), follow DFES on Twitter @dfes_wa or listen to news bulletins.
     
    Further information will be released as it becomes available.

$1000 fine for obscuring your number plate

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Police are reminding the public that vehicle registration plates must be clearly visible. 

The Road Traffic Regulations enforce how numbers plates are to be fitted to vehicles and section 25AA creates the offence for anything that prevents effective identification of a number plate in varying conditions.

The penalty of which is a fine of $1000.

Click here to view a copy of the regulations.

In case you needed yet another reminder not to drink and drive

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Everything Geraldton readers were wondering what Police were doing measuring markings on the road in Sunset this morning. 

Around 8:45 last night (Thurs 6 Nov 2014) there was a vehicle collision when two vehicles tried to overtake a third car at the same time, according to Police. 

The vehicles were travelling North along Chapman Rd in Sunset Beach. 

A red Holden Ute and a Silver Kia Rio attempted to overtake the third vehicle at the same time.

According to reports from Police, the Holden driver attempted evasive action to avoid a collision with the Kia and the male driver lost control.

The female driver of the Kia also lost control and both vehicles collided.

The Holden hit the curb and crashed into a limestone wall, and the Kia came to rest on the road.

The Holden Ute driver sustained minor injuries and both cars were quite damaged. 

Police attended at the scene and it was ascertained the driver of the Kia had consumed alcohol. 

The 22 year old female driver from Mount Tarcoola has been charged with "Exceed 0.08" and will face Geraldton Magistrates Court at a later date.

 

L Plater blows over four times alcohol limit and she had no supervisor - Police

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A 30 year old woman from Rangeway will head to court later this month charged with DUI and 'unauthorised driving by a learner driver'. 

Around 1 am this morning, Thursday Nov 6 2014, the woman was stopped on Rifle Range Rd for a random breath test. Police say they ascertained that the driver had consumed alcohol. 

After being conveyed to the Geraldton Police Station she gave a final reading of 0.234 grams of alcohol per 100ml of blood. 

That is more than 4 times the legal limit for regular drivers. But Police say this woman is a Learner driver. 

The legal limit for Learners is 0.0%

Police also say she was not accompanied by any other person in the vehicle and she was not displaying "L" plates to the front or rear of the vehicle. 

Watch this 4x4 nearly lose it

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This dash cam footage was sent in to us:

"This was captured today on the corner of NWC HWY and Phelps.
I honestly thought he was going to flip and i think the thing that annoyed me the most was the look on his face as he drove past...he seemed to be proud of what he had just done."

(Around the 11 sec mark on right hand side of screen.)

Regarding motor vehicle accidents in Geraldton and the safety of our roads

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As I was driving home today (Tuesday Nov 4 2014) south along the NWCH past Shell, I saw a green ute go to pull out of the service station's driveway. The driver was turning right, and there was a large semi trailer parked at the driveway, completely blocking the view of the ute. 

Despite the obvious inability to see any cars that would drive up past the truck, the driver decided to pull out and try his luck. 

As I watched this happen I saw a car approaching that would not have been able to see the green ute. I quickly put my brakes on and pulled to the left, bracing for impact. 

Fortunately the oncoming car swerved far enough and dodged the green ute, and I breathed a sigh of relief. 

Why on earth would that ute driver have thought it was ok to pull out when he couldn't see what was there?

About two weeks ago, I was heading North toward Bunnings along the same lovely highway, in the right hand lane. 

A four wheel drive on a side street on the left was turning left onto the highway. 

No big deal, she has plenty of room, I thought. 

But she decided to go into the right hand lane. My lane. 

I swerved right a little, but there was nowhere to go without having a head on collision with oncoming traffic. I hit the horn to wake the woman up and get her out of my lane. 

She swerved back right and I lived to die another day. 

She pulled in to Bunnings and I followed her and approached her vehicle. I'm not sure what I was hoping to achieve, perhaps point out that she might have killed myself and my four year old child. She was apologetic and said she see me. I drove off, grateful to not be in an ambulance or a hearse. 

Every week, Everything Geraldton gets multiple reports of vehicle accidents, and it's always gut wrenching when a major injury or fatality happens. Trust me, it's no pleasure to report the news when there's a tragedy. Everything Geraldton does not have a "page view" revenue model like other websites, so we don't make extra money when there's a flood of web traffic following a crisis. And I'm grateful for that. 

But I have been scratching my head as to why certain locations seem to continually have vehicle incidents. 

Chapman Rd in front of Northgate (west side) seems to always attract accidents, despite a recent speed reduction. 

The NWC highway from Shell to Bunnings is horrible... I've witnessed so many accidents along there it's ridiculous. 

The 'S' bend on the Brand Hwy is expected to be realigned in the future because of vehicle accidents on a reasonably regular basis. 

The telephone pole near the Art Gallery gets a lot of flack for being so close to the road, especially after a van collided into it in November. 

I drive all of these roads very often, and it appears there's nothing tricky about them. Having lived in Perth and handled much worse traffic than any of these locations could ever offer, plus driving regularly through the ridiculous streets of Brisbane and Sydney, one would think our local streets could be handled with ease. 

- The NWC Hwy stretch:

It's a straight road. If there's a car coming, don't pull out. If you can't see if there's a car coming, don't pull out. If a car stops in front of you, make sure you're far enough back so you can stop too. Not hard. 

- Chapman Rd:

If you're pulling out of Northgate's car park, and you can't see properly, don't pull out. Or turn left if you're not comfortable crossing four lanes of traffic. Don't take a chance. It's not hard. 

- S Bend:

There's nothing tricky about this road. It's a bend. Then it's straight. Then it's a bend. It used to be 110kmh with an "advisory" to slow down to 90. Now I believe it is speed limited at 90kmh. If you obey the sign, the road feels rather slow, and not very dangerous at all. 

- The phone pole near the Art Gallery:

What the reporting on the incident last November failed to mention, was the driver who collided with the pole (collided at speed, not clipped with the mirror) had actually just pulled out of Maccas and was eating an ice-cream cone. Maybe the pole is a bit close to the road, but maybe it stopped a pedestrian from being cleaned up by a distracted driver. 

https://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/regional/gascoyne/a/19927202/western-powers-broken-promise/

Ranting to our friends on Facebook about how people just need to "pay attention" or something to that effect does nothing. 

We ALL know we need to pay attention. And if we're all honest with ourselves, we've all done dumb things on the road when we've lost focus for a split second. 

We've all been lost in thought for a few moments and pulled out on someone. Or maybe gone through a red light when only the turning traffic had a green. Or maybe you've had a car or motorbike in the blind spot created by your A-Pillar and narrowly missed a tragedy. 

Or maybe you're a perfect driver and can sit on high and judge everyone else without hypocrisy. 

But for the rest of us, the following might be of interest.

There's really not much traffic here, and the roads are all pretty good compared to any other city. 

There's more days of sunshine in Geraldton than the Gold Coast or the Sunshine Coast, so we don't have to worry about bad weather driving much at all. Many of us have never SEEN snow let alone driven in it. 

We know the roads we're going to drive on like the back of our hands. If something is more than 8 minutes away we seriously debate whether it's worth going. And because we know the roads so well, we're in auto pilot most of the time. 

And despite the wonderful feeling criticising the state and local governments gives us, a lot of public campaigning has lead to continued action to improve the quality and safety of our roads over the last two decades. The roads are, generally speaking, safer than they used to be. Remember when 60km/h in residential zones was the limit? Now if someone does 65 past my house I think life imprisonment is a reasonable option for them. 

When you add all these factors together, what you get is a feeling of comfort and ease when you're driving on Geraldton roads, 99% of the time. 

An interesting study published in 2010 showed most Americans mistakenly believed winter was a more dangerous time to be driving. Seems logical, given the inclement weather makes visibility and stopping harder. But it turns out the opposite is the case. Summer is more dangerous because people have let their guard down then. During winter they were extra careful. 

"Lighter traffic and pleasant scenery on rural roads can lull drivers into a false sense of security. This can lead to motorists driving at unsafe speeds, as well as being distracted, fatigued, unbelted or impaired while driving, all of which increase the likelihood of a crash."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/06/100628124701.htm

Perhaps because 99% of the time driving on our roads isn't stressful relative to more congested places, we're not on our guard as we should be.

Driverless cars are on their way, and the roads will be a much safer place when they arrive. But until that day, we all need to redouble our efforts to pay attention on the roads. 

Police calling for witnesses following fatal incident on NWCH

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At about 3.50pm on Sunday 2 November 2014, a male pedestrian was struck by a truck on North West Coastal Highway, approximately 500 metres north of the Chapman Valley Road roundabout. The pedestrian later died in hospital.

Police are calling for witnesses to this incident.

Please contact S/C Dawson or S/C Pears from Mid-West Gascoyne Traffic on 9923 4555. 

Update on truck incident in Glenfield

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On Wednesday afternoon several Everything Geraldton readers alerted us to an incident where a truck's trailer had rolled north of the 440 road house. 

Geraldton Police have provided the following information:

  • The incident occurred at around 4:20pm on the North West Coastal Hwy in Glenfield.
  • Mid-West Traffic Enforcement Group and Department for Fire and Emergency Services responded to the crash.
  • The truck trailer was carrying dry ammonia nitrate.
  • Initial indications suggest that the truck trailer lost traction upon connecting with the gravel verge.
  • This resulted in the trailer rolling independently from the truck, causing the trailer to break away from the prime mover. 
  • The trailer rolled onto the left side of the road, causing spillage of the dry ammonia nitrate into nearby bush and paddock area.
  • The scene was positively assessed by the Department for Fire and Emergency Services for any risks associated with the crash. 
  • The driver did not sustain any injuries.