Acting Superintendent Koutsoufis has stressed the importance of road safety, and specifically educated the local communities on local strategies designed to reduce road traumas on our country roads. Operation Chrome is an ongoing strategy aimed to target driver behaviour on rural roads.   

In recent months we have conducted constant operations in lower populated, rural communities targeting drink driving and poor driver behaviour. Some the of the results are disappointing, with one driver arrested from drink driving lamenting to police that he was surprised to see police 'out this way.'   

There is reliable intelligence to suggest that many drivers in smaller country towns 'run the gauntlet' and have been driving home from their local for years, often after downing a few schooners. Those days are gone and have been for a long time. Community expectations have shifted significantly and so must driver behaviour. 

Last Saturday, the first day of the school holidays, our LAC had its first fatality. A female motorcyclist was tragically killed; a confronting reminder of how quickly lives can change. Our sympathies are with her family through this terrible time, for the emergency service workers called to attend and all parties involved.   

Please heed this long-standing message: take your time when driving during these holidays. Plan your trips and understand that there will be more cars on our roads, fatigue issues to consider and if you're not used to driving on unfamiliar country roads, slow down. Country roads are unique and the recent and successful Country Roads Campaign states, "you don't have to be speeding to be going too fast on country roads."   

Our goal is to make the roads a safer place for everyone. This is a shared responsibility and we need your help in this regard.