Enough is enough

We are the consequences.Those are the words Norm and Leanne Robinson use when talking about the loss of their son in a fatal car accident earlier his year.Luke Robinson, 19, was killed when his car slammed into a pole at 160km/h.He was a good driver, but he was going double the speed limit.His family is the consequence of his stupid decision behind the wheel that day.This year 20 people have died on our region’s roads.That is 20 people who will not be home for Christmas, 20 people who will never see their family again, 20 people too many. This month the Bendigo Advertiser wants to tell people enough is enough.To do that we have spoken to some inspirational people within our community; people whose lives have been torn apart by the road toll.Stories like Laurie Whelan, the former Bendigo mayor who lost half his family in a car accident eight-and-a-half-years ago and the Robinsons’, who will certainly tug at the heart strings.We hope they will also encourage others to drive safely this Christmas.To kick off our “Drive to Stay Alive’’ campaign we spent a night on the beat with local police. It was certainly an eye-opening experience.At any given time, the Bendigo highway patrol could be called out to a fatal accident, find themselves involved in a high-speed pursuit with a drunk-driver or be stuck on the side of the road in the rain handing out infringement notices to young men who have lowered their car so low, they’ve rendered them unroadworthy.As a young driver myself, I often fall into the habit of becoming a “comfortable driver’’.Like many others, when on the road, I think I am invincible and therefore, it’s OK to go just a little bit over the limit or accelerate instead of break at an amber light.But after spending a night on patrol with Senior Constable Bruce Slimmon and his good friends Shania Twain and Cyndi Lauper, I will certainly think twice before I press down on the accelerator.In the first two-and-a-half hours on the beat Senior Constable Slimmon had booked eight people for breaking the road rules.Of those eight caught, seven were random intercepts, people he saw out the corner of his eye with their hand to their ear, cars he thought were going too fast, or vehicles he believed looked suspiciously low.The eighth ticket was handed out after Senior Constable Slimmon attended the scene of an accident. The driver was lucky to walk away with a summons to court.For me it wasn’t the accidents that I read about, sometimes write about, in the paper every week that have tempted me to slow down. It was that after spending a night on patrol I now realise police are on the look-out for people like me – people who think they can get away with breaking the law just a little bit.Like all police officers, Senior Constable Slimmon has attended his fair share of road accidents.What’s most surprising is a majority of them are caused by driver error, a majority of them could have been avoided.The Bendigo highway patrol has a zero tolerance to dangerous driving. It knows that 10km/h over the speed limit can make an otherwise minor accident fatal.It knows that mobile phones cause accidents and that seatbelts save lives.The message from its officers is clear – if you continue to break the law police will catch you.It might not be today, it might not be tomorrow, but eventually they will catch you. I just hope it’s before you are being pulled from a crushed vehicle, another victim of the road toll.