Road toll remedy in hands of drivers

NSW’S Premier has described the state’s spiralling road toll as heartbreaking, but says the onus to prevent further deaths is on drivers, not government, as Labor calls for a federal investigation.

The death of a motorcyclist near Queanbeyan on Thursday night brought the NSW holiday road toll to 22 and 389 for the year.

The 22-year-old man died at the scene of the crash after he hit a road sign, police said.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the rising road toll was too high. “To lose anybody, anytime is tragic but especially at this time of year,” she said.

“My heart breaks every time I’ve heard of those tragic circumstances.”

However, she said the state’s drivers must take responsibility for driving safely.

“We cannot get away from the fact that people need to obey the laws that are in place.”

On Thursday, federal Opposition spokesman Anthony Albanese called for a federal investigation into the rising road toll.

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Jeff Loy, who described the state’s holiday road toll as horrific, said he was open to anything that could prevent unnecessary deaths but said there was “by no means a lack of effort on law enforcement or the policy makers”.

“I think it really does get down to the people’s bad behaviours when they’re driving,” Mr Loy said.