Northern Tasmanians endured a deadly 12 months on the roads last year, with nearly half of the state’s fatal crashes happening in the Northern district.
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There were 33 fatalities statewide, with 15 deaths in the North, eight in the North-West and 10 in the South.
According to the Department of State Growth, 14 drivers, five passengers, eight motorcyclists, three pedestrians and one person categorised as other died on Tasmanian roads in 2018.
The first fatality last year was on January 5 at 9.50pm on Heemskirk Road on the West Coast, but the Northern district remained fatality free until March 19.
A 61-year-old Scottsdale man died when his fully-laden log truck ran off Cuckoo Hill Road at Ringarooma and rolled down an embankment about 12.50pm.
At the time, it was the ninth fatality for the state.
A majority of the Northern district’s crashes happened in the Launceston municipality – eight, one in Dorset, three in Meander Valley and three in the West Tamar.
Fatal crashes in the state’s North in 2018;
- March 24: Golconda Road, Lebrina
- March 31: Meander Valley Road, Hagley
- May 4: Bass Highway, Travellers Rest
- May 13: West Tamar Highway, Loira
- May 30: Off road at Launceston, Launceston
- Bass Highway, Deloraine
- July 1: Bolton Street, Beaconsfield
- August 31: Frankford Road, Frankford
- September 7: Intersection of Frederick and Wellington streets, Launceston
- September 27: Pipers River Road, Turners Marsh
- November 20: Midland Highway, Prospect
- November 30: Lilydale Road, Underwood
- December 26: Pipers River Road, Lower Turners Marsh
- December 29: Golconda Road, Lebrina
Five Tasmanians died on the roads this Christmas period, making it the deadliest since 2015.
Tasmania Police and the Road Safety Advisory Council have continually reiterated the importance of the fatal five – speed, seatbelts, alcohol and drugs, distraction and inattention, and fatigue – throughout the year and ramped up the messaging during the Christmas period.
Majority of road users do the right thing, but the messaging continues to fail to get across to some.
Police believe inattention was a factor in at least three of the fatal crashes over the Christmas period.
Three 18-year-olds died on the roads during Operation Crossroads.
The number of fatal crashes in Tasmania has been reducing since 2017, with 36 people killed in 2016, 34 in 2017 and 33 in 2018.