A range of road safety experts have begun touring targeted sections of Wheatbelt roads in Western Australia as part of the State Government’s effort to reduce deaths and serious injuries in the region.
Representatives from the Road Safety Commission, Main Roads, WA Police and local government have been traveling notorious sections of highway to offer opinions from each of the respective road safety fields.
“Last year 26 people lost their lives on Wheatbelt roads and we want to ensure we are doing all we can, across all government agencies, to reduce road trauma,” said Road Safety Minister Liza Harvey.
“This comprehensive review is modelled on similar studies undertaken in New South Wales. It aims to reduce road trauma by drawing on the knowledge of various road safety experts, as well as input from locals who regularly travel along those routes,” she said.
“It’s the first time all relevant agencies have travelled notorious stretches of WA roads in an effort to come up with a holistic solution to reducing a high cluster of serious and fatal crashes.”
A key component of the review is community feedback, with an online interactive mapping tool already receiving more than 300 comments on subjects including road condition, near misses and driver behaviours.
The review is focusing on 370 kilometres of Great Eastern Highway and the Great Southern Highway between Chidlow and York.