The State Government has launched a new three-pronged approach to road safety following the news that Western Australia recorded its worst road toll in four years in 2014.
Last year 184 people died on Perth roads - 24 more than 2013.
Road Safety Minister Liza Harvey said the response would target three major components of the road toll: speeding, motorcycle fatalities and country road crashes.
In addition WA Police are planning to WA police are hoping personally-delivered letters from officers to hoon drivers who continually put other motorists' lives at risk will help reduce the number of deaths on WA roads.
Mrs Harvey said a Wheatbelt trial of the Regional Highway Safety Review would see multiple agencies travel notorious sections of highway and then identify practical safety measures to improve safety in these areas.
“Single vehicle crashes on country roads remains a significant factor in the road toll and this new method targets specific crash clusters which is aimed at having a greater impact on reducing fatal and serious crashes,” Mrs Harvey said.
This Regional Highway Safety Review will be co-ordinated by the Office of Road Safety, WA Police and Main Roads
The Minister said a Motorcycle Safety Review group would conduct a detailed analysis of the motorcycle fatal and serious crashes from the past five years.
“The group will look at crash types, locations and factors then look to establish clear measures to improve rider safety in the areas of roads, vehicle safety, speed and rider behaviour,” she said.
Mrs Harvey said four additional fixed speed cameras, costing $3.2 million, would also be installed in existing locations across the metropolitan area to help target speeding drivers, bringing the total operating at all times to five.
“Speed cameras have a long proven ability to slow motorists down and change their driving behaviour," Mrs Harvey said.
The Government’s road toll response measures and review outcomes will be funded by the Road Trauma Trust Account.
The rate of fatalities on WA's roads in 2014 exceeded the national average, prompting concern from the RAC.
Based on Western Australia's population of 2.6 million, WA's fatality rate equates to approximately 7.1 deaths per 100,000 people, according to RAC spokeswoman Liz Carey.
"2014 was a bad year on WA roads, and our state continues to perform worse than the national fatality rate," she said.
"To place this in an Australian context, the national rate is approximately five, while Victoria and NSW have each ended 2014 with rates near 4.5."
"If WA matched these other two Australian States, the 2014 road toll would be around 116, meaning 68 Western Australians would still be alive."
The RAC attributed the high road toll to an increase in deaths on regional roads, up from 73 in 2013 to 102 in 2014.
The organisation also found that an increase in the deaths of cyclists and motorcyclists on Perth's roads contributed to the overall increase in road fatalities.
Meanwhile, WA police are hoping personally-delivered letters from officers to hoon drivers who continually put other motorists' lives at risk will help reduce the number of deaths on WA roads.
Last year 184 people died on Perth roads - 24 more than 2013.
Assistant Commissioner Nick Anticich said on Sunday that a letter would be mailed to motorists who police have identified as "high risk drivers".
He said drivers who have accrued a large number of demerit points would be targeted and the letter was intended to personalise the "contact between police and people".
"In the case of the Wheatbelt, the intent is to take it a step further: a personal delivery made by a police office of that letter from the police commission," he said.
"It will be face to face engagement.
"The intent and the hope is it will change behaviour . . . that when people see that letter and visitation it will strike a chord.
"We would much rather be there talking to the family and delivering a letter than turning up and announcing the death of a loved one."
