A P-plater has been detected speeding just 500 metres from the scene of a fatal collision at Somerset, which claimed the life of a 10-year-old girl just days earlier.
The 18-year-old was caught travelling 28km/h above the speed limit on the Bass Highway on Sunday (8 November) during targeted road safety operations.
During the operations, police from Burnie, Wynyard and Smithton detected a total of 28 motorists speeding across the division including an 18-year-old Burnie man who was detected travelling 30km/h above the speed limit on the Bass Highway at Wynyard on Saturday evening.
On Sunday afternoon, another motorist was intercepted on the Bass Highway travelling 25km/h above the speed limit.
Acting Inspector Luke Negri said police were provided with two excuses from those drivers – texting while driving, and being late for work.
“A text message is not worth a life, and no appointment, shift or deadline justifies putting other road users at risk,” he said.
Police also intercepted a 17-year-old unaccompanied learner driver operating a vehicle that had not been registered for nine years.
Acting Inspector Negri said since Friday, police in the North West had detected the following offences:
29 speeding offences, comprising:
- 1 exceeding the speed limit by 30 – 37 km/h
- 3 exceeding the speed limit by 23-29km/h
- 12 exceeding the speed limit by 15-22km/h
- 13 exceeding the speed limit by 10-14km/h
3 mobile phone offences
1 driving without due care and attention
1 unaccompanied learner driver
3 unregistered vehicle offences
1 unlicensed driving offence
“Every driver has a responsibility to make safe decisions. Speeding, distraction and other dangerous driving behaviours can have devastating and irreversible consequences.”
“Police will maintain a strong, highly visible and targeted enforcement presence across the North West Coast, with motorists reminded that police can be anywhere, at any time.”
