South West road users urged to be safe during holidays

South West holiday makers are being urged to take extra care on the roads as the end of 2021 marks the highest number of road casualties in three years for regional WA. According to the Road Safety Commission, 95 people — both locals and visitors — have lost their lives on regional roads. RAC general manager external relations Will Golsby said road safety was paramount and thrown into stronger focus with the increase in intrastate travel during the pandemic restrictions. “There are far too many families heading into the Christmas break without their loved ones this year as deaths continue to occur on our regional roads at an alarming rate,” he said. “Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy and celebration, but for many it will be a stark and devastating reminder of their loved ones who are no longer here because of road trauma. “The festive season is always a high risk time on our roads, but particularly with more people travelling across regional WA than ever before.” The South West has been particularly affected by road trauma in 2021 seeing the deaths of teenagers Buckley Spicer and Luke Hopkins in April. The RAC recently expanded its Safe Travels initiative to provide free training sessions for WA drivers on how to safely navigate regional roads. Across the State, an additional 65 people have lost their lives on metro roads.