Carnage on Clarence Valley roads

A 52-year-old Bundagen woman died on Tuesday when her Kia Sportage collided with a B-double on the Pacific Highway at Hurley Drive, Coffs Harbour.

THERE have been 17 road fatalities in the Clarence Valley and Coffs Harbour area this year, with the latest crash claiming the life of a 52-year-old woman on Tuesday.

Her maroon Kia Sportage collided with a white Kenworth B-double on the Pacific Highway at Hurley Drive, Coffs Harbour, at 1pm, killing the Bundagen mother.

Detective Chief Inspector Jason Breton said at the scene the four-wheel-drive, driven by the woman, came out of Hurley Drive and collided with the B-double travelling south on the Pacific Highway.

Alison Hammond commutes between Coffs Harbour and Grafton on week days and said she has seen at least four accidents on the stretch of road since January.

“I stopped at one accident at Halfway Creek where a car had overturned but luckily there were two off-duty police officers who were there and could help,” she said.

Taking extra safety precautions to get to and from work has kept Mrs Hammond safe.

“I try to leave home before seven to beat the trucks because sometimes they follow very close behind, which can be quite off-putting,” she said.

“The condition of the road is poor. There are potholes and un-even surfaces. Once you know the road you learn where the bad spots and blind spots are, and you drive accordingly.

“In parts of the road I slow right down to 80 kilometres per hour to negotiate the bends,” Mrs Hammond said.

The death of the woman at Coffs Harbour on Tuesday has thrown the spotlight on road design and who is responsible for any alteration.

With the tit-for-tat blame game continuing between local government and the RTA, the Member for Coffs Harbour, Andrew Fraser, said the community was ‘sick of the deaths’.

Since the start of this year nine of the 17 road deaths in the Clarence Valley/Coffs Local Area Command have been on the Pacific Highway.

“The RTA can’t dodge its responsibility,” Mr Fraser said.

“It’s high time they remember they’re public servants.”

•  Clarence Valley and Coffs Harbour Area Command has recorded 17 road deaths since January.
•  Nine of those 17 deaths have been on the Pacific highway.
•  Road crashes cause more than 400 deaths and 25,000 injuries each year on our roads.
•  As of December 1, 427 people had died on our roads which is an increase of 89, compared with last year’s records.
•  The financial cost to local communities is around $3.7 billion each year.