The State Government has rejected the
recommendations of its road safety experts that it buy more speed
cameras and increase police radar patrols.
The revelations come after five deaths in less than 48 hours on country roads last weekend, prompting calls for tougher enforcement, road improvements and pleas for drivers to stop taking risks.
In a bid to crack down on speeding drivers, the Road Safety Council recommended spending $5.8 million of road trauma trust account funding this financial year, rising to $25.9 million in 2015-16, to buy more mobile and fixed cameras for country and metropolitan use and fund more regional police radar patrols.
Road Safety Minister Liza Harvey said the Government had decided to spend more money on road improvements than on extra cameras. She justified the decision to use RTTA funds for infringement processing, saying it was a necessary cost to achieve better road safety.
Professor Holman warned speed enforcement was just one of a range of important measures to reduce the "bloody carnage" and high country road toll.
About 60 per cent of fatal crashes are on regional roads and the country road crash rate is about five times higher than Perth.
The high crash rate has prompted police to increase traffic patrols in rural areas but Assistant Police Commissioner Gary Budge said it was difficult to control inattention and impatience.
Mr Budge said many regional crashes were catastrophic because of the high speeds involved and medical assistance was often further away.
RAC head of advocacy Matt Brown said a big percentage of WA's regional road network was not of an acceptable safety standard .
The revelations come after five deaths in less than 48 hours on country roads last weekend, prompting calls for tougher enforcement, road improvements and pleas for drivers to stop taking risks.
In a bid to crack down on speeding drivers, the Road Safety Council recommended spending $5.8 million of road trauma trust account funding this financial year, rising to $25.9 million in 2015-16, to buy more mobile and fixed cameras for country and metropolitan use and fund more regional police radar patrols.
Road Safety Minister Liza Harvey said the Government had decided to spend more money on road improvements than on extra cameras. She justified the decision to use RTTA funds for infringement processing, saying it was a necessary cost to achieve better road safety.
Professor Holman warned speed enforcement was just one of a range of important measures to reduce the "bloody carnage" and high country road toll.
About 60 per cent of fatal crashes are on regional roads and the country road crash rate is about five times higher than Perth.
The high crash rate has prompted police to increase traffic patrols in rural areas but Assistant Police Commissioner Gary Budge said it was difficult to control inattention and impatience.
Mr Budge said many regional crashes were catastrophic because of the high speeds involved and medical assistance was often further away.
RAC head of advocacy Matt Brown said a big percentage of WA's regional road network was not of an acceptable safety standard .
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