ARRIVE ALIVE! First responders deliver Easter road safety message

Each year motorists are reminded to be safe on the road through hard-hitting messaging, but this Easter, local emergency service workers are banding together to deliver the most simple but important one – ‘Arrive Alive’.

The latest road crash statistics reveal 40 lives have been lost so far this year compared to 18 at the same time last year, with the Hills Fleurieu region recording five fatalities, 44 serious injuries, and 118 collision casualties.

In the lead up to the long weekend, Strathalbyn Country Fire Service, Strathalbyn State Emergency Service, SA Police Hills Fleurieu Local Service Area, and Strathalbyn SA Ambulance Service are urging motorists to drive to the conditions, allow for additional travel time, and avoid unworthy and unnecessary risks.

Hills Fleurieu police urge motorists and their passengers to ‘Arrive Alive’ this Easter by paying adherence to the ‘Fatal Five’ – drink and drug driving, speeding, fatigue, distraction, and seatbelts.

Easter is a time when road traffic increases due to people being out and about, and looking to connect with family and friends.

It’s also a time traditionally for trauma on South Australian roads, prompting an increased police presence over the four-day weekend.

“All fatal and serious injury collisions are avoidable,” Hills Fleurieu Operations Inspector, Andrew Kemp, told The Southern Argus.

“Statistics and research have shown the ‘Fatal Five’ are the leading causes for those lives lost and serious injuries on the roads, so it’s important every driver takes their responsibility on the road seriously to keep everyone safe.

“Dangerous road users put everyone at risk, and include those people that have a blatant and selfish disregard for the road rules, as well as those that simply do not pay attention or get distracted.  

“The penalties for dangerous driving include fines, imprisonment, instant licence disqualification, loss of demerit points, vehicle impoundment or forfeiture, and I make no apology that the police of the Hills Fleurieu Local Service Area will be out in force this Easter for one simple reason – we want you to arrive alive.”

Every life lost and serious injury on the road has a devastating effect not only on the people and families involved, but first responders who attended these scenes.

For the safety and wellbeing of all involved, Inspector Kemp urged people to arrive safely to their destination.

“Attending fatal and serious injury collisions for emergency responders is difficult, many of whom in regional areas are volunteers and often have to attend scenes involving people known to them,” he said.

“This is never easy, and what is worse is that every one of these collisions is avoidable.

“If we each take a moment to prepare and plan for our trips, check the roadworthiness of our cars and bikes beforehand, take regular rest breaks, and be patient with other road users, we will go a long way toward arriving safely at our destination.

“It’s time we all took responsibility for our behaviour behind the wheel.”

Strathalbyn SES Unit Manager Dani Sherriff

Taking the extra five or 10 minutes to get to your destination will be worth it this Easter if it means motorists arrive safely, and emergency service volunteers can spend time with their families.

This year, the Strathalbyn State Emergency Service has seen an increase in requests for assistance, and particularly of late, motor vehicle accidents.

Unit Manager Dani Sherriff said people needed to remember to drive to the road and weather conditions not only for their own sake, but volunteers who do so much for the community.

“We rely heavily on volunteers to give up their own personal time to attend these accidents, and sometimes these accidents are quite confronting and generally, they can also be local community members,” she told The Argus.

“We’d just like to get motorists to drive to the conditions and take care on our roads.

“If it takes an extra five or 10 minutes to get to your destination, that’s worth that, as our volunteers would like to spend time with their family these Easter holidays.”

SA Ambulance Service Strathalbyn Volunteer Team Leader Todd Treacy

Driving is a responsibility not to be taken lightly, particularly around Easter time and long weekends are when incidents tend to increase.

This year’s road crash statistics illustrate a behavioural problem state-wide, and it’s only expected to worsen, with more people heading out and about to enjoy the extended break.

In the lead-up to Easter, Strathalbyn Volunteer Team Leader Todd Treacy is imploring motorists to stick to the road conditions, allow extra time, and stop every two hours to rest or change drivers.

“Incidents always increase around long weekends, Easter, and Christmas time,” he told The Argus.

“Going to any trauma accident is always going to be hard on the crews, especially afterwards and dealing with it.

“In country areas, the crews know these people, so it puts a lot of pressure and impact on people.”

Despite it coming with the job, Mr Treacy said local paramedics may be affected by traumatic scenes, however are provided by a support network.

“SA Ambulance has a very good peer support program that makes contact with anyone that goes to jobs like that, especially when a fatality is involved, and obviously, the team itself pulls together and makes sure everyone is all good,” he said.

“Drive safely and to the road conditions, allow extra time – don’t rush, and stop every two hours and have a walk around your car, and stop and change drivers if needed.”

Strathalbyn South Australian Country Fire Service Lieutenant Andrew Wardle

Many go away for the long weekend, but to make it back alive, driver behaviour is vital this Easter – and always.

Over half of this year’s fatalities have been recorded in regional/country areas, with Hills Fleurieu ranking worst for both serious injuries and collision casualties.

Strathalbyn Country Fire Service (CFS) Lieutenant Andrew Wardle told The Argus this could be contributed to many factors, including complacency and distraction.

“I think people are just in auto-pilot mode; they’re driving the same road they’ve always driven, and they’ve got a million things on their mind,” he believed.

“They might be distracted by a mobile device, GPS or something like that, and they’re just not focusing on the most important job at hand and that is keeping it on the (road) and not running into things, but also, avoiding other people who are making poor choices or being distracted.

“People can’t rely on the construction of their car to save them in a crash, they have to be proactive rather than rely on their vehicle, airbag or seatbelts even to save them; there’s only so much those design features will do.

“(The CFS) has seen a lot of little stuff (such as) people not giving way or looking, or people going off the road on a relatively straight stretch of road.

“We’re not fools – we know they’re being distracted by something or other.”

CFS volunteers often see the consequences of poor driver behaviour at road crash scenes.

The confronting sights and sounds that come along with accidents can have a significant impact on responders, despite years of experience and training.

“We’ve got to deal with the trauma, we’ve got to process the event mentally, and we have to look out for each other,” Mr Wardle said.

“There are always more than two or three emergency service responders on scene, and the things we see and hear are not pleasant, and even with years of experience, it’s not always easy to deal with some of those confronting images and sounds.

“It’s nothing for a guy with 30-plus years of experience to just have one event and go ‘You know what? That shook me up a bit’ – we’re all human, and some people say it’s like a bucket and you can only carry so much before it overflows.

“The CFS will contact each and every one of the people who were involved at the scene and make sure they are coping, and we have debriefs, formal and informal chats, and invite people who are affected to make contact one way or another to help process.”

This weekend hundreds of South Australians will hit the road for a well-deserved break, with many of them either leaving from or heading to the Hills Fleurieu region.

Following last month’s fatality, which saw a local woman lose her life in a Strathalbyn collision, it’s imperative motorists have patience and pay attention to the road to avoid death or serious injury.

Mr Wardle urged motorists to relax, give themselves plenty of time to arrive at the destination, and drive to the conditions.

“Due to so many people going away for the long weekend, the amount of traffic on the roads increases dramatically,” he said.

“Some vehicles can go faster than others within the speed limit and some people get frustrated, and some people make poor life choices and things get ugly.

“On a personal level, me and my family are going down to the South-East for Easter, and we are leaving before daybreak on the Friday morning just to avoid the worst of the Dukes-Riddoch Highway, but on the way back, we know it’s just going to be chaos.

“It sounds like a cliché but every single crash can be avoided; cars don’t go off the road off their own volition.

“Don’t take risks – it’s just not worth it.”