NSW Premier urges caution after eight road deaths in three days ahead of Christmas period

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Eight people have been killed in three days taking the toll for the year so far to 338 people. That's a 25 per cent increase compared to last year. The Australian Medical Association says people should speak-up when they see dangerous driving.

Transcript

00:00 In 2020, Duncan's 17-year-old son was killed in horrific crash on Sydney's northern beaches.

00:10 Barney got into a car with a drunk driver who sped 30 kilometres above the speed limit.

00:19 He missed a corner, drove straight into a sandstone fence.

00:26 Losing Barney is unimaginably torturous every day.

00:33 More than 2,000 people have been killed on NSW roads over the past seven years.

00:39 This year there's been a spike in fatalities.

00:43 There was less road activity in 2022 than 2023, primarily because more people were working

00:49 from home.

00:50 Over the past three days alone, eight people have died.

00:55 Among the crashes was a courtesy bus carrying people home from the Cowra Bowling Club.

01:00 It collided with a car, killing an elderly man and injuring five others.

01:04 With nearly one person killed per day in crashes across the state this year, advocates say

01:10 there needs to be a seismic shift in the way the legal system treats dangerous driving.

01:16 If you kill someone with a gun, a knife or a bat, or you punch someone in the pub and

01:22 you kill them, then you will probably be charged with manslaughter or homicide.

01:27 But if you get behind a car and you kill someone, it's seen as a different crime.

01:32 It's a lesser species of homicide.

01:35 And that is totally wrong.

01:37 If someone has been drinking, you should step in and stop them from driving.

01:41 If you're a passenger in a car and you can see that the driver is too tired, you need

01:46 to get them to pull off the road.

01:48 With more people on the roads over the holiday season, experts say the death toll will inevitably

01:54 climb.

01:55 [BLANK_AUDIO]

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