ARRIVE ALIVE: Easter is a time for people to get away, which means packing up the kids and the car and driving.
It is also a notoriously dangerous time on the roads.
Every Easter, there is a strong focus on road safety from Police and Emergency Services and this year is no exception.
For this reason, The Avon Valley Advocate is spreading the road safety message.
Last year as a whole, there were 31 recorded fatalities in the Wheatbelt region, an increase of 13 from 2013.
This region includes all 43 shires from Dandaragan to Yilgarn and from York to Gingin.
In 2013 there were 180 people killed or seriously injured on Wheatbelt roads.
The complete crash statistics for 2014 are not yet available.
While any fatality or serious injury is not acceptable, there have been some positive results from community action on road safety.
Local people, local governments and RoadWise Committees in every region are doing effective things in road safety and the Wheatbelt is making a strong effort, with some good trends showing, particularly with drink driving and young drivers.
The Avon Valley Advocate is promoting the road safety message in the hope drivers get to their destination in one piece, so loved ones are able to have a safe and happy Easter.
Acting Northam Police officer- in-charge Darrell Hagan said police will be running an operation over the Easter period which targets industrial and retail precincts.
“Police will be targeting hooning and traffic offences in every Wheatbelt sub-district,” he said.
“There will also be the usual high visibility police presence on the roads, along with the usual double demerit system.”
Mr Hagan said during the long weekend, police will be targeting alcohol and drug affected drivers, as well as speeding and fatigue.
“By making ourselves highly visible on the road hopefully this will modify driver behaviour,” he said.
“If this is not enough, then they (drivers) will be dealt with accordingly.”
Mr Hagan had a clear message to all drivers approaching the Easter long weekend: don’t hurry.
At the local level, we can all contribute to Towards Zero, the WA road safety strategy for 2008-2020.
York traffic policing statistics for Easter 2014 included 187 drivers subjected to preliminary breath tests over the long weekend, but no drivers tested returned a positive reading.
Sergeant Mark Gubanyi, officer in charge of York Policing District, said over Easter, York has a lot of through traffic.
“Those that are not seeding or can get away will head off to a destination, generally outside of the Wheatbelt,” he said.
“This means an increase in vehicle movements.
“Previous years we have intercepted a number of vehicles for speeding, however in 2014 while we didn’t change what we did, we saw a drastic drop in speeding motorists, with 24 speeding infringements.”
Mr Gubanyi said just five kilometres over the posted speed limit can affect stopping distance, and make the difference between a crash and a Killed or Serious Injury crash.
When travelling long distances, drivers are encouraged to take regular breaks and swap drivers where possible.
There are free coffee stops in our region, located in Cadoux and Trayning.
There are also Driver Reviver locations at Southern Cross, Pithara, Gingin and Jurien Bay.
To join in the conversation, click here, use the hashtag #arrivealive on social media or email our digital editor Tim Carrier with your thoughts to tcarrier@fairfaxmedia.com.au.