THE third crash at a dangerous Birregurra intersection in the space of five days has sparked calls for the intersection to be upgraded immediately.<\/p>\n
The crashes at the intersection of Birregurra-Forest Road and Colac-Lorne Road\/Deepdene Road since Christmas Eve \u2013 which left one person dead and 12 others injured \u2013 also resulted in the repeat of requests to enforce more stringent tests on the driving ability of overseas visitors who travel along the region\u2019s major tourist routes such as the Great Ocean Road.<\/p>\n
At least 150 people attended a community rally held near the intersection on Sunday, and road authorities have already started a review of how to make the crossing safer.<\/p>\n
The intersection has a history of crashes and is located just below the crest of a hill, meaning drivers heading north on Birregurra-Forrest Road cannot see vehicles coming from the east or west, and vice-versa, until the last minute.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a killer intersection, and the number of people who jump those stop signs from either side of the Birregurra-Forrest Road is almost unbelievable,\u201d Barwon Downs resident Chris Maher, who witnessed the fatal crash on Boxing Day, said. International licence holders can drive without restriction if visiting on a temporary visa, and some state and federal MPs have been calling for years for tighter restrictions \u2013 calls repeated this week by Corangamite federal member Sarah Henderson and Polwarth MP Richard Riordan, who jointly convened Sunday\u2019s rally.<\/p>\n
\u201cHire car companies must be forced to provide mandatory information such on \u2018drive on left\u2019 stickers to international visitors, many of whom arrive here with virtually no driving experience,\u201d Ms Henderson said.<\/p>\n
VicRoads has already made a number of temporary safety improvements at the intersection.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe severity and number of crashes that have occurred over the past few days is extremely serious and that is why an immediate review has commenced between VicRoads, Victoria Police and the Transport Accident Commission,\u201d VicRoads south-west regional director Mark Koliba said.<\/p>\n
Yesterday (Wednesday), the state government announced it was rolling out the Visiting Driver Road Safety Program, which is modelled on the New Zealand international driver safety project and would be supported by the major vehicle rental companies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE third crash at a dangerous Birregurra intersection in the space of five days has sparked calls for the intersection to be upgraded immediately. The crashes at the intersection of Birregurra-Forest Road and Colac-Lorne Road\/Deepdene Road since Christmas Eve \u2013 which left one person dead and 12 others injured \u2013 also resulted in the repeat […]<\/p>\n