Australian National Xmas Road Toll Reaches 18The Australian national road toll for the Christmas period now stands at 18 following the death of a man in Western Australia.A 32-year-old man was killed around midnight when he lost control of his motorbike at Karradale near Augusta in the state's south-west. The death is the first for the holiday season in Western Australia. Queensland's toll climbed to three after a Toowoomba man died after a single vehicle accident earlier in the day. Police say the 91-year-old was driving with his wife when his car hit a median strip and smashed into a power pole. In Adelaide, one person is dead and two others have been injured in an accident at Christies Downs in the city's south. The death brings South Australia's Christmas toll to two. New South Wales has had the most number of fatalities, with 11 dead. Victoria has recorded one death. Traffic Services Commander, Ron Sorrenson, says the road toll for 2000 has already exceeded 1999 by six, and could continue to rise. "It really comes down to people taking more responsibility themselves," he said. Emergency Services are warning motorists that they risk spending the Christmas holidays in the mortuary. Police and the Ambulance Service says that despite warnings, people continue to speed, drink drive, refuse to wear seatbelts and drive when tired. |
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