TOURIST CRASH CRISIS
Roads bosses silent about licensing, education reforms as two foreign drivers fighting for lives Police warn problem will end in more deaths unless action taken
ROAD authorities are refusing to fast-track urgent changes to international driver education and licensing as a second foreigner fights for life following a highspeed crash at Mt Moriac yesterday (pictured).
Two motorists, from Europe and Asia, are in critical conditions in The Alfred after crashing five days apart on the same stretch of Surf Coast feeder road, Cape Otway Rd.
Police sources say excessive red tape and a lack of licensing control for international drivers is killing people, with local drivers being caught up in the avoidable carnage.
When asked if the State Government would fast-track a campaign to raise visiting driver awareness of road safety as part of a $53 million TAC fund, Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said they would “have more to say on that before Christmas”.
ROAD authorities are refusing to fast-track urgent changes to international driver education and licensing as a second foreigner fights for life following a high-speed crash southwest of Geelong yesterday.
Two motorists, from Europe and Asia, are in critical conditions in The Alfred after crashing five days apart on the same stretch of Surf Coast feeder road, Cape Otway Rd — one allegedly travelling on the wrong side of the road.
Tuesday’s crash saw a young child’s toys and car seat alongside luggage strewn across the median strip while dozens of emergency services members worked to save a life just metres away.
Police sources say excess- ive red tape and a lack of licensing control for international drivers is killing people with local drivers being caught up in the avoidable carnage.
When asked if the State Government would fasttrack a campaign to raise visiting driver awareness of road safety as part of a $53 million TAC fund, Roads Minister Luke Donnellan said they would “have more to say on that before Christmas”.
“Work is already under way on a campaign to raise visiting driver awareness of road rules and key road safety issues,” he said.
Just hours earlier, a 35year-old Beijing driver was flown to The Alfred hospital after being cut from her blue Corolla hatchback which was T-boned at the intersection of Cape Otway Rd and Princes Hwy at Mount Moriac.
A five-year-old boy and his 33-year-old mother, also in the car, were taken to Geelong hospital with minor injuries.
A Queenscliff man, 65, and a passenger in the other car, a large fully-laden Ford F250 ute towing a trailer loaded with furniture, also suffered minor injuries.
Geelong Highway Patrol Acting Senior Sergeant Peter Radford said it was a miracle more people weren’t seriously injured.
“The driver of the ute, he could see it unfolding in front of his eyes so he moved from the left into the right lane and tried to slow down but the full impact has gone into the driver,” he said.
“People must drive to what’s around them not just in front of them.”
Last Thursday, a European tourist, reportedly driving on the wrong side of the road, slammed head-on into a truck at Wurdiboluc.
It sparked calls from residents, including former police officer-turned-councillor Simon Illingworth, for the rollout of tough education campaigns, with “reckless” overseas drivers proving the “greatest hazard” on the region’s roads.
Sen-Sgt Radford said education was urgently needed to stop unnecessary trauma.
“We need to work closer with Tourism Australia as far as the education of these drivers are concerned when they step out of a plane and onto our roads,” he said.
“Many of these people are in a rush because their GPS says they can travel 300km in three hours but that’s not the case here.
“In New Zealand they’ve pushed it into the Chinese media over there using highprofile personalities to edu- cate, they’re five years in front of us.”
In April, one man died and 28 were injured on the Great Ocean Road at Glenaire when a bus carrying a delegation from the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce rolled and hit a gum tree.
In February six people were injured in a four-vehicle crash at Glenaire caused by a wrong way driver.
And in October last year, a motorist died in a collision with a truck near Devils Elbow, near Lorne.
VicRoads yesterday would not answer questions on the tightening of licensing and driver education for foreign tourist drivers or whether any safety campaign would be enacted.
Project director Tim Price said: “Our goal is to make our roads safe for everyone, so we treat accidents such as this very seriously”.