Pregnant woman loses her baby

Assistant Commissioner John Hartley

Traffic Services Branch

Fatality-free Christmas Day on day 8 of OPERATION SAFE ARRIVAL

Despite a fatality-free Christmas Day, police are reminding motorists to take care on the State’s roads as many families embark on trips across NSW and interstate.

The state’s holiday road toll remains at 13 after eight days of OPERATION SAFE ARRIVAL; however, a woman remains in a serious condition after being struck by a van on the State’s Central Coast yesterday. The 29-year-old pregnant woman was walking along Coachwood Road at Ourimbah when she was struck by a van being driven by another woman shortly after 10.30am.

Police have been told the van left the road and struck the local woman as she walked along the footpath.

She was treated at the scene for a fractured pelvis before she was airlifted to Royal North Shore Hospital.

• The woman lost her baby last night.

The driver of the van, a 39-year-old Ourimbah woman, was taken to Wyong Hospital for mandatory blood and urine tests.

Tuggerah Lakes Police conducted a canvass of the area and inquiries into the incident are continuing.

Police have continued targeting dangerous driving behaviour on the State’s roads, conducting:

• 220,000 breath tests on the first eight days of the operation;
• 606 people have been charged with drink driving so far, down 331 over the same period last year.
• Police have issued 8851 speeding infringements in the first eight days, up 1060 over the same period last year.
• 280 drivers caught speeding on day eight, compared to 997 on Christmas Day last year.

Traffic Services Commander, Assistant Commissioner John Hartley, is reminding motorists to take care as they embark on road trips. “Many families will be going on post-Christmas holidays today and over the next few days. I want to remind drivers to take regular breaks and avoid driver fatigue.

“Don’t rush to get to your destination. It’s not worth risking your life and the lives of others just to make a deadline. Make sure you get to see 2010,” Assistant Commissioner Hartley said.

Examples of dangerous driver behaviour from Christmas Day include:

• About 7pm a 54-year-old woman was driving a Ford sedan east along Mona Vale Road, St Ives. At the time she was allegedly swerving and narrowly avoided colliding with several vehicles. Members of the public contacted Triple Zero to report the erratic driving. A short time later, the woman attempted to stop behind a stationary vehicle at a set of traffic lights before rolling into the back of the vehicle. Police attended a short time later and the driver was given a breath tested, returning a positive reading. The woman was arrested and taken to Gordon Police Station, where a breath analysis returned a reading of 0.217. Her licence was confiscated and suspended. The woman was issued a court attendance notice for high range PCA. She is due to appear at North Sydney Local Court on 3 February 2010.

• Shortly after 2pm police were conducting stationary speed enforcement duties on the Pacific Highway at Cudgera Creek, on the far north coast. Police observed a vehicle well in excess of the sign posted 110kmh speed limit and checked the speed of the car to be 156kmh before stopping it. The P1 driver, a 19-year-old man, was issued an infringement notice for exceeding the speed limit by more than 45kmh. His drivers licence was suspended for six months, effective immediately.

• About 11am a 40-year-old Victorian man was stopped on Conargo Road, Deniliquin, after being detected travelling at 151kmh in a 100kmh zone. He was issued an infringement notice for exceeding the speed limit more than 45kmh and had his driving privileges in NSW suspended immediately.

• About 7pm a 26-year-old Cobar man was driving his Hilux utility in Sulphide Street, Broken Hill, and allegedly struck a taxi and a parked utility. The man drove to the CBD and failed to negotiate a roundabout on Crystal Street, where he mounted the curb and burst a water main. He continued to drive to Wentworth Road where his tyre came away from the rim of the front of the vehicle. The man then drove about one kilometre and crashed into the front fence of a residence. The male was breath tested, arrested taken to Broken Hill Police Station where he returned a breath analysis reading of 0.250. The man was charged with high range PCA and will appear at Broken Hill Local Court on 28 January 2010.