Easter road death toll climbs but Mid West-Gascoyne police report no fatalities or serious crashes in region

No lives were lost on Mid West-Gascoyne roads this Easter despite deaths more than doubling on regional WA roads following a series of horrific crashes in other regions. Mid West-Gascoyne emergency service personnel were kept at home with their families this Easter long weekend, but major crash responded to five fatalities across the State. It is the highest number of deaths on WA roads over the Easter long weekend in 10 years, up from the two fatalities over the same period in 2023, and two deaths in 2022. Local traffic police were out in force over the break, patrolling Mid West roads while families relaxed and enjoyed the long weekend. Traffic officer-in-charge Sgt George Tilbury said the Easter traffic campaign, which ran from Thursday until Monday, contributed to there being no serious or fatal crashes in the Mid West-Gascoyne region. “An extensive police presence on our roads, with 10,845 kilometres travelled to conduct road policing duties, has been a major contributing factor to there being no serious or fatal crashes in our district,” he said. “Thank you to residents and tourists who traversed our highways and visited our towns for being courteous and driving safely, which ensured a safe Easter on our roads.” According to the Road Safety Commission, deaths on regional WA roads have climbed from 20 in 2023 to 24 to date this year. On Thursday, about 5.10am, a Toyota Camry and a Jeep Cherokee collided on Muchea East Road in Lower Chittering. Both drivers, a 47-year-old woman and a 54-year-old man, died at the scene. A 19-year-old motorcycle rider and a 27-year-old driver of a Holden Astra died in Yoongarillup in the South West after they collided while travelling the same direction on Saturday afternoon. A 30-year-old motorcycle rider died after leaving the road in Lathlain, an inner south eastern suburb of Perth, on Sunday night. Leeman police worked with Geraldton traffic officers conducting random breath tests and patrols in coastal towns, including Leeman, Jurien Bay and Cervantes. Mid West-Gascoyne police conducted 3614 breath tests, issued 314 infringements and 110 cautions, and two compliance notices during the five-day campaign. Out of those, five people were charged for drug driving, five people for drink driving and one person was charged for refusing a breath test. Four people were charged with reckless driving, while four were charged with careless driving. There were 13 unlicensed vehicles and 16 people were charged with no authority to drive.