Mid West-Gascoyne district records 10 fatalities in WA Road Safety Commission’s 2022 statistics

Ten lives were lost on Mid West and Gascoyne roads in 2022 as the regional road toll climbed to an alarming six-year high.

As Road Safety Commissioner Adrian Warner issued a plea for motorists to be safer in 2023, preliminary data showed the Mid West district had recorded the second lowest death toll last year in regional WA.

Mid West-Gascoyne traffic police have been out in force over the holiday period, patrolling towns and major arterial roads to help keep road users safe.

The district had the second lowest fatality count in 2022 with 10, following the Pilbara district with six fatalities, according to the WA Road Safety Commission.

The Mid West’s road toll was slightly up from the nine deaths recorded in 2021 but down on previous years.

Local lives lost in 2022 included a 51-year-old truck driver who was killed in a collision with a tractor towing a seeder and storage unit in Yuna in April, a 35-year-old man who lost control of his vehicle and struck a power pole in Waggrakine also in April, 36-year-old David Breese who lost control of the truck he was driving in the Murchison in August and a truck driver and his passenger who died in a head-on collision with another truck near Wooramel on December 4.

On Christmas Eve, 17-year-old Justyce Potaka-Kumeroa died when the car he was driving struck a tree on Marine Terrace in Geraldton’s West End.

Geraldton traffic Sergeant George Tilbury said although the Christmas and New Year period was potentially one of the most dangerous times on roads due to increased traffic volumes, police patrols had seen good behaviour across the district.

“The vast majority of drivers have done the right thing over the festive season, which is very pleasing,” he said.

“Thank you to the community for driving safely, being patient and courteous, with a marked increase in the number of people who have been seen waving to other road users when kindness is displayed.”

WA’s preliminary road toll for 2022 is 175 deaths, comprising 62 in the metropolitan area and 113 on regional roads. It is the highest road toll since 2016 when 196 lives were lost.

Mr Warner said 2022 ended with far too many grieving families and urged the WA community to be safety-wise in 2023.

“Whether you are driving, on a motorbike, bicycle, eRideable or even walking, a small commitment to keep yourself and others safe on the roads could have a big impact on our whole community,” he said.

The Road Safety Commission hopes to introduce safety cameras to target people not wearing seatbelts correctly after a trial found 8000 West Australians were using them incorrectly.