Tasmania Police want everyone to ‘arrive alive’ this Easter and are today launching Operation Crossroads to encourage drivers to focus on road safety.

Police will be highly visible across the State and particularly on rural roads throughout the Easter holiday period, aiming to minimise the number of crashes caused by the fatal five:

• Speed
• Inattention
• Tiredness
• Seatbelts
• Alcohol and drugs.

As part of the national initiative Operation Crossroads, which runs from April 2 to April 6, Tasmania Police will be conducting random breath tests, targeted drug tests, speed detection, road patrols and vehicle checks.

Launching Operation Crossroads today Commissioner of Police Darren Hine said:

“We should not just accept that road deaths are inevitable because the reality is that many of them are avoidable.

“Thousands of Tasmanians will take to the roads to visit family and friends this Easter and we want everyone to arrive alive. It shouldn’t be too much to ask.

“Driving too fast for the conditions can make a big difference to the seriousness of a crash. Speed is not just about driving over the sign-posted limit; it’s also about adapting your driving to the narrow, winding road or slowing down in wet weather.

“Reading a text message on your phone takes your eyes and mind off the road for several critical seconds and that can be a fatal combination.

“And of course seatbelts save lives,” Mr Hine said.

“We are committed to reducing the number of crashes on our rural roads. Over the past 5 years 41% of deaths and injuries have occurred in 100km/hr zones; typically rural roads.

“Police will be highly visible in these areas; targeting drink and drug drivers, ensuring seatbelts are worn and enforcing speed limits,” said Mr Hine.
State Emergency Service volunteers will be staffing ‘Take a Break’ stations at key locations around the State on Easter Monday where drivers can combat tiredness by stopping for a drink and a biscuit.

They will be at:

• St Peters Pass on the Midland Highway in the south
• The Sidling Lookout on the Tasman Highway in the north-east
• Parramatta Creek on the Bass Highway in the north
• Fossey River on the Murchison Highway in the north-west
• The Franklin River Nature Trail on the Lyell Highway in the south-west.

“Driving when you’re tired can reduce your vision and make you slower to react, not to mention the risk of falling asleep behind the wheel,” Mr Hine said.

“Driving when you might be over the blood alcohol limit or when you’ve taken drugs means you’re not thinking clearly or acting predictably and that makes you a danger to yourself and everyone else you’re sharing the road with.

“Before you start drinking make sure you make arrangements for transport home so that you’ve already got a plan in place and you’re not tempted to take risks,” he said.