Motorist saved by barrier
Driver’s highwire act
A DISTRACTED driver whose car ended up halfperched on a roadside wire safety barrier in a 100km/h zone has avoided serious injury.
The black Holden left a 100m trail of debris and oil after grinding along the Portarlington Rd barrier between Curlewis and Leopold at the weekend.
But the incident shows the effectiveness of the controversial safety barriers, the region’s top road police officer says.
Acting Senior Sergeant Peter Radford, of the Geelong Highway Patrol, said the crash served as a warning of the dangers distraction is to drivers behind the wheel.
“These barriers will actually save lives particularly on the rural roads where fatigue is an issue,” Sen-Sgt Radford said.
“They are an effective tool for road safety. They do have limitations ... but have the ability to be removed if we need (in an emergency).
The driver of the Holden veered off the road after becoming distracted sometime Saturday night or yesterday morning, Bellarine Police said.
They said the family returned yesterday morning in an attempt to have the car towed.
Sen-Sgt Radford said the consequences of the incident could have been far worse had the roadside barriers not been in place due to the nearby trees.
“The way they are designed from my understanding is to envelope the car so it doesn’t have a sudden stop,” he said.
“I think they are a good idea. I think they will be an effective tool to help (drive down) the road toll.”
VicRoads is currently in the process of rolling out 330km of flexible wire barriers across the state with work completed or planned across the region including the Princes Freeway between Little River and Lara, and the Geelong Ring Road to Waurn Ponds. Other locations include the Geelong-Bacchus Marsh Rd near Lara — which VicRoads has identified as one of the most notorious in rural parts of the state.
Last year, Torquay P-plater Tayla Stevens, 20, credited the wire barriers with saving her life and that of another driver when she crashed on the Western Highway near Sunshine at 100km/h.
“If the barriers weren’t there, I definitely would have collided with someone. I most likely would not have survived, and possibly could have killed someone,” she said.