ROAD SAFETY Get tougher on Tassie’s terrible drivers
AT last, a serious effort to police motorists bad behaviour on our roads.
Councils are spending millions to make our roads safer, it is not our roads which are the safety problem, it is the motorists who use them.
The most dangerous bad habit of them all is motorists allowing their vehicles to cross over white lines while going around corners.
I see this behaviour every day and I am sure you all have been confronted with some part of a vehicle coming over the white line and you having to take evasive action to avoid an accident while going around a corner. It is not the road that is the problem, it is lazy and irresponsible driving habits.
Ray Marsh Primrose Sands
ENOUGH OF TAILGATING
TASMANIA Police, in your blitz on traffic offences, please, please target tailgating. In the past six years as our population has rapidly increased, so has dangerous, aggressive and illegal driver behaviour, with tailgating being one of the worst.
I have seen no targeted education campaigns, blitzes or police measures to address this dangerous practice.
N Johns Taroona
MEANS-TEST FINES
As per the recent announcement on the news that Tasmania Police will no longer issue warnings on traffic infringements, it was stated this would be an effective deterrent for road users.
If so, how about having the fines means-tested so that they really have the intended impact of financial pain and consequential behaviour change?
A $300 fine impacting a pensioner would be nothing to a well-off person. Rosemary Phelps
Collinsvale
ACCIDENTS PREDICTABLE
THAT there has been a recent spate of crashes on the Richmond to Sorell road is entirely predictable given the heavy increase in traffic due to road chokes at Midway Point and the airport roundabouts maze.
The most practical and obvious solution is to reduce the speed limit on the Richmond to Sorell road to 80km/h, which will align it to the RichmondCambridge and airport-Sorell roads. Mike Macphail
Richmond
SOLUTIONS OF SUBSTANCE
ALTHOUGH road safety is important and the articles by Rob Inglis and Jack Evans are useful, the comments attributed to Scott Tilyard are disheartening. (Mercury, May 16).
The Towards Zero road safety strategy seems to be little more than an excuse to generate glossy reports, and those reports indicate enthusiasm for initiatives unlikely to work and reluctance
to discuss ideas likely to work. Let me distinguish between “must have” and “nice to have” solutions.
More police, more speed cameras, more four-lane roads, better intersections, etc, are all nice to have and expensive, particularly for government budgets. For “must have” initiatives, we need to consider speed-limiting cruise control, black box logging, and fore and aft dashcam logging.
These are inexpensive, particularly for government budgets, and reward good behaviour while controlling only bad behaviour.
Keith Anderson Kingston
WILDLIFE DESERVES BETTER
NATIONAL Road Safety Week might seem to be a bit out of our lane for the RSPCA – but far from it.
Beautiful scenery, lush forests and abundant wildlife are just some of the drawcards bringing in record numbers of tourists to Tasmania.
But the roadkill toll is also increasing. So much so that Tasmania is earning the reputation as the “roadkill capital of the world”.
It has been estimated on average around 32 animals die every hour on Tasmania’s roads.
Next to devil facial tumour disease, roadkill is the greatest threat that Tasmanian devils face, as they are scavengers and often feed on other animals killed on the roads
You can help by being aware of your surroundings.
In dry times, the little bit of rain we do get will run off straight to the side of the road. That’s where the green grass is, so that’s going to attract animals.
Don’t throw your apple core or other food scraps out the car window because that draws more animals to the roadsides.
Roads form pathways for animals and provide water sources.
Many native animals (such as the Tasmanian devil) travel hundreds of kilometres in the space of a month. They have to cross roads to get where they’re going, whether that’s to find water or food – and that increases the risk of death or injury.
Road speeds and road conditions also contribute to the huge animal road toll. Studies have shown that a 20 per cent reduction in speed is estimated to reduce roadkill by about 50 per cent.
It is not only the animals that are at risk, though.
The reaction of drivers unfamiliar with so many animals on roads also raises safety issues.
Having people who are attuned to the driving conditions which suit Tasmania’s roads will not only reduce the number of animals killed on our roads, but will also improve road safety and outcomes for all motorists.
Jan Davis CEO, RSPCA Tasmania