By Jesse Graham
AFTER a safe holiday period on Yarra Ranges roads, police are asking drivers to take it easy and avoid distractions, to help prevent serious crashes.
Emerald Police First Constable Tony Raven said that police had been monitoring traffic from 16 December to 8 January as part of Operation Road Wise, keeping an eye out for dangerous driving behaviour, such as speeding and drink driving.
Though he said “a number” of drivers had been issued penalty notices for speeding or exceeding the legal blood alcohol limit, he said that, overall, the behaviour of people on the roads had been “relatively good”.
“Fortunately, the conditions for the roads have been dry most of the time, so there haven’t been any fatalities – there’s been a lucky one or two, though,” he said.
With the warmer weather, First Const Raven said many drivers were parking illegally in parkland areas and car parks, sometimes blocking access for others.
He warned residents to park in designated areas or risk a parking fine.
First Const Raven said that drivers should not get complacent with dry roads and should avoid risk taking behaviour and distractions such as using mobile phones that can take driver’s eyes – and mind – away from driving.
“Just because the roads are relatively light doesn’t mean it’s okay to speed – it only takes a fraction of a second … to cause a serious injury or a fatality,” he said.
“It’s an important message, about the need to not use mobile phones for texting or receiving or making calls – a vehicle travelling in the opposite direction … you can be looking down at a text for half a second and veer right and have a head-on.
“It’s not pleasant.”
