The frustration and desperation was evident this week when the region's top traffic cop pleaded with motorists to take care on the roads.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Seventeen lives have been lost so far in 2023, the equal highest number in a decade. Many have been avoidable.
"We've seen absolute carnage on our roads," Warrnambool highway patrol commander Sergeant Lisa McRae said.
"We just want this to stop, please, everyone be safe."
Her comments came after yet another shocking week in the region which saw a 20-year-old British driver die from injuries she suffered in a single-vehicle collision with a tree at Winnap, about 50 kilometres north-west of Portland on November 19.
"It is just heart breaking," Sergeant McRae said.
Devastating. Not just for the mums, dads, brothers, sisters, grand parents, friends who have lost someone dear but the first responders, passers by, emergency services personnel.
The south-west's road toll, like the state's, is up significantly. Why?
Some of the contributing factors to crashes in the south-west have included people not wearing seatbelts, travelling at high or inappropriate speeds or failing to stop at red lights or give way at intersections.
Are drivers becoming fatigued because of the state of the region's roads? Are mobile phones and high-tech in-vehicle display screens and all the associated functions like navigation tools a distraction? Are we just complacent and think something will never happen to me?
Police can only do so much, so too the Transport Accident Commission, which for years ran successful graphic campaigns about the consequences of poor driver behaviour.
Those campaigns stopped viewers in their tracks. But for those old enough, did their frequency actually reduce their shock factor?
We know alcohol and drugs impair drivers and while every driver pulled over is breath tested, drug tests are far more expensive and therefore used less frequently. Is there a link with drugs?
We know speed is also a factor. How many times do drivers have to be told - the faster you travel, the bigger the impact and severity of injuries.
Whatever the reasons, Sergeant McRae summed it up best when she said simple mistakes behind the wheel were leading to catastrophic consequences.
"We've got to be relentless about doing everything we can to save lives," she told The Standard.
And that starts with every driver paying attention when behind the wheel. The text message or email that pings on the phone can wait a couple of minutes. Even that split second of pondering 'who's that' could be enough to miss a stop sign. Curiosity can indeed kill.
We know accidents can and do happen, that's called human error. But can we prevent those errors? Sergeant McRae says we can. That's why we have to do everything in our powers to try.
Statistically we know the lead up to Christmas is a danger period as the long year takes a toll and our minds drift to thoughts of fun, festivities and holidays. But that's even more reason to concentrate and double down. Don't become a statistic, your family and friends are counting on you.
And so too our frustrated emergency service personnel who would love nothing more than an incident-free Christmas. Go on, give your family, friends and emergency workers the perfect present - your presence at Christmas dinner.
