Hi All,
I’m on my soap box tonight !
Hopefully I'm mostly preaching to the converted.
There have been three rollovers on the
Kalumburu road &
Mitchell Plateau track in the last 3 weeks, another one just yesterday. People were hurt (some quite seriously) several ended up in hospitals.
A miracle there were no fatalities.
One of my staff working up the road also saw another bloke fishtail 3 times before he luckily got control, another near miss. He had kids in the car as
well.
Daughter & son have both recently driven to town, both trips they near misses from imbeciles sliding sideways at them out of control on corners and if my lot hadn’t been hugging their own side it might not have been a miss.
These are just the ones we have actually seen. I guarantee there were many more close calls we don’t know about.
The cause of all this is driving TO FAST, TO FAST, TO FAST added to inexperience on the gravel. Vehicles often end up on the wrong side of the road, then out of control.
Many less experienced people expect the gravel to be the just same to brake on on a corner as the bitumen but of course as most of you know it isn’t ANYTHING like the same.
Even on a straight part going quick the vehicle is almost floating on the loose gravel. Last year a lady lost control on a dead straight part & went head on into a tree. The front was so smashed in she was jammed behind the steering wheel.
People blame the roads, hit a hole, loose gravel, sharp corner etc etc.
It is NOT the fault of the road.
If you are going slow enough then the roads are safe, it’s more some idiots driving on them you have to watch out for.
Over the last 10 years these North
Kimberley roads have been improved a lot, great in some ways but the speed people now think they can do has also increased. They get on a good bit and fly along but these roads don’t stay the same. To this day there are good and bad bits and sharp corners when you least expect them.
PLEASE you are on holiday, the hour you may gain simply isn’t worth the risk.
Remember the drama of an accident out here is 100 times worse than in town where you are close to medical and tow trucks etc.
Out here it will be a long long time till any form of help can arrive.
We repeatedly every year have to help people. We see the heartbreak that follows from the wrecked holiday, the smashed vehicle and the hurt people.
Believe me after what we have seen it’s just not worth the risk.
Bad enough the damage you might do to your own vehicle or family but think about the other poor innocent people you might run into if you slide on a corner !
Just keep the speed down and practice defensive driving like sticking right over to your own side especially on all corners and hills.
Gravel roads are fine, IF you drive them in the proper manner.
Have a great & safe holiday
Cheers, Anne