Police aiming for fatality free Labour Weekend

Police will be out in force over Labour Weekend hoping for a weekend that is fatality free.

The huge reduction in road crashes over Queen's Birthday Weekend has prompted Police to reintroduce the reduced speed tolerance for the weekend.

Police will operate a reduced speed tolerance to 4 kilometres per hour over any speed limit for the official holiday period (4 pm Friday 22 October through to 6 am Tuesday 26 October).

The Queen’s Birthday road toll was the lowest in more than 50 years with only one death. There was also a reduction in the number of crashes overall from 341 last year to 292 this year.

"We know that if we can keep speeds down, we can keep crashes down and that is what we are hoping for this weekend", said Superintendent Paula Rose today.

"I am not prepared to accept that people dying on the roads is an inevitable outcome of having a long holiday weekend - we can change this, we don't have to tolerate holiday weekend highways becoming killing fields."
Last year at Labour Weekend there were 8 deaths, 28 serious injuries and 104 minor injuries.
The most common crash causes were losing control (34%), alcohol (25%), inattention (20%), and travelling too fast for conditions (14%).

"If we can reduce speeds on the roads, we can reduce the number of crashes and the severity of any that may occur. People will always make mistakes and what we want to do is ensure that one mistake does not cost them their lives," she said.

Police will be operating a "wraparound" campaign which will target the known killers, alcohol, speed and failure to keep left. Police will be out in force with as many officers on the frontline as possible and action being taken against anyone breaking the road laws.

Police will also target drivers who fail to keep left and slow or inconsiderate drivers.

"We know that we can make a difference and we are determined to do everything we can to make this holiday weekend the one when nobody at all dies," says Superintendent Paula Rose.