Police believe drugs and alcohol may have been involved in a recent fatal crash at Nimbin and are awaiting toxicology reports.
A 49-year-old nurse died after a four-wheel drive and a van collided at the High Street intersection about two weeks ago.
Detective Chief Inspector Cameron Lindsay has told the ABC that the local community was still reeling after the death of the nurse.
He said no charges had been laid at this stage, but investigations were continuing.
‘I believe we will allege that alcohol and drugs were involved in that matter,’ he said.
‘It is a timely reminder that we don’t want people to drink and drive or take drugs and drive, and we will be enforcing those two aspects over this Christmas period.
Police are also urging cyclists and motorbike riders to take extra care on the region’s roads.
The warning comes after a man in his 60’s died after being knocked off his bicycle on the Pacific Highway north of Ballina yesterday.
That crash came less than a week after a fatal accident involving a motorbike rider on the Bruxner Highway at Alstonville.
Insp Lindsay said police would be conducting random drug testing, random breath testing and there would be speed enforcements on local roads.
‘We don’t want to see any more tragedies in this area.
‘It’s been a really bad year for us. A lot of local people have been dying on our roads.
‘In some cases the emergency responders have known the people involved.
‘It’s really taken a toll on some of those people.’
This story does not make clear which driver was using drugs and alcohol.
All of these accidents are tragedies for family and friends.
People make terrible decisions such as driving whilst texting, drunk, exhausted etc but the roads also need to be designed better. It might not be the case with these accidents but for example there have been four fatal accidents on the Alstonville bypass since it opened that I know of.
I believe there are three changes to that stretch of road that could save lives:
1. Change the intersections at the beginning and end of the bypass to roundabouts to slow everyone down rather than trying to merge and turn across vehicles doing 80kph.
2. Remove the broken lines that allow for overtaking in the two lane section of the bypass but add an overtaking lane when travelling from Ballina to Lismore.
3. Make the lanes narrower but widen the centre lines and add ripple strips to all lines to “wake up” drivers that are drifting into oncoming vehicles or onto the verge where there can be cyclists.
As far as drink driving is concerned, how about police get serious about random breath testing when people are likely to be over the limit rather than when it suits them. Better still offering to test people before they leave venues so they do not even start driving whilst drunk.