TRAFFIC enforcement in the Wheatbelt needs to be increased with residents saying not enough is being done according to the 2015 Wheatbelt Community Attitudes Survey.
RAC general manager corporate affairs Will Golsby said survey respondents highlighted they didn’t encounter police cars and booze buses enough, with some noting that they have known people to drink drive for years.
“Forty per cent of the community said not enough is being done by the authorities to actually deter people from these dangerous behaviours,” Mr Golsby said.
“The community feels that to reduce the number of road deaths and serious injuries the government needs to put more flashing lights on the roads.
“Local police do a great job in the region but it is clear from the results that a greater police presence on the roads would make a difference.”
The survey, of nearly 500 respondents, also found that over 50 per cent wanted more driver education and training to improve the unacceptably high road fatality rate in the region.
Mr Golsby said the survey results revealed 91 per cent of Wheatbelt drivers rated themselves good drivers, and yet were the most likely region to drink, speed, use a mobile phone and not wear a seatbelt.
“These deliberate choices attribute to 65 per cent of crashes in the Wheatbelt, meaning more community awareness is needed about the importance of road safety,” Mr Golsby said.
“The Wheatbelt’s road fatality rate is 11 times the metropolitan rate, six times the state rate and twice nearby regions.
“It is clear that we all need to work together to save lives on Wheatbelt roads.”