What the heck is going on with the M1 [VIC]

[Polyal]

I heard there was an accident, a head on to be exact, and traffic is backed up forever. But how the heck do you have a head on there? Its all separated unless they were intentionally driving on the wrong side or doing something stupid.

The GF left Geelong an hour ago and has only just got near Werribie apparently.

Any news?

[agony]

Head on is right. 19 year old driving on wrong side of road. 2 dead. one of the worst accidents they have seen. ( taken from 6.30am news 101.1FM )

[Polyal]

Thats just shocking, how could someone do that!

Maybe they were trying a U turn, but as you said, its a head on and looks pretty damn bad.

[bArNsY]

Geelong addy said

Two die in Maltby Bypass head-on

16Feb07

TWO men are dead after a head-on smash near the Maltby Bypass early this morning.

Police said the accident happened near Werribee when a car on the wrong side of the road collided with a Melbourne-bound car about 2.45am.

The driver and passenger in the Melbourne-bound vehicle died as a result of the accident.

The 19-year-old male driver of the other car was airlifted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.

Police from the Major Collision Investigation Unit have been called in to investigate the accident.

Melbourne-bound lanes of the Maltby Bypass have been blocked where the Princes Freeway meets the Princes Highway, and traffic is being diverted through Werribee while the scene is cleared.

Police are appealing for anyone who saw the accident or a car travelling on the wrong side of the road to contact them.

The accident brings Victoria's annual road toll to 36, the same as this time last year.

[bArNsY]

Here is a pic of the cars

[bjr22n_]

look at the force of that crash, no wonder the men had no chance. That is just horrible. This isn't ment to be a P-plate bashing... but is that a red P-plate on the white sedan, on the top corner front windscreen?

how do you have a head on there? isn't there armco along the middle of the road there?

[bArNsY]

This latest update should explain why
http://www.theage.com.au/news/nation...405402410.html

[Polyal]

The M1 is the best highway in Vic, I have no idea how someone could be on the wrong side of the highway as it is split.

His either deliberately driven down the wrong off/on ramp or his gone through the center sections were police sit and then driven. Either way you would have to be on something to do it.

Personally Id rather be dead than to have to deal with the aftermath.

[holmsy]

how they hell could they pull that off. and yes it would be a P plate as it says they wer 19

[coupdy do]

Things ive seen in melbourne:
Lady going around roundabout the wrong way
Man doing ten point turn on a bridge (near dermis pub in Marabanong)
taxi driver stopped in middle lane of freeway trying to change lanes (citilink)
Man driving down one way road yelling at the 'other idiots' (i may have done this myself)
In footscray we had the old 'oh i hit the accelerator instead of brakes'- result one dead guy and and a trashed cafe.
All in three years
And have had three major accidents including a head on and a 100kmph flip in melbourne - none of them were my fault. yet in 15 years driving Sydney, Brisbane and Perth have never had one at all.
If the last thing you drove before moving to Australia was a herd of goats or a water buffelo then chances are your a **** driver get use to it.

In this case i suspect drugs or suicide but why was the truck in the right hand lane?

[bArNsY]

found another pic

[nothin suss]

Well it seems the white commodore was the p-plater who was in the wrong.... its looks the more mangled of the two but he had an airbag...

[kyro_02]

mm i would of just missed that too got home at 'bout 12am last night

[bob 351]

dam sad for the inicent partys and there families

[Grechie]

i was like 30 seconds from that accident wen it happenend...(soldiers reserve), obviously didnt hear nething bout it till this maorning.

[coupdy do]

Originally Posted by bArNsY

found another pic

It looks from that photo that Blue car has braked and the white car hasn't (just the way the white car has gone on top of the blue)

[Kommandant]

Isnt it always the case where the guy at fault lives and everyone else is affected in such a major way.

I really feel for the families of the two guys in the other car.

[Mechan1k]

That's full-on ... I'm a bit iffy about the truck being on the right lane as well.
May there are keep-right unless overtaking signs down there.

Surely if the P-plater in the white commodore wanted to kill himself he'd aim for the truck and made sure he did the job properly.

Still ... very wrong indeed ... very hard for family members to comprehend.

Would have thought a Statesman would have had airbags though ... over a lowly Commodore of the same era ... or thereabouts (which had one airbag).

[Dezza]

Damn. I'm mystified as to how that happened in the first place. Such a tragic loss of life

[LTDHO]

WOW.

Very devistating.

[Grasshoppr]

Yeah I'm confused on which car was at fault as both seem to have airbags? Its shocking and you can only assume that they were trying to be thrill seekers and pass close to the truck in the wrong direction (maybe why the truck was in the right lane?) and when the truck was swerving a bit the car behind popped out to avoid him therefore hitting the oncoming car

[XRchic]

Looking at that, I would have expected the survivor to have been in the Statesman, as the cabin is a lot more intact than the white Commodore. Bizarre.

Very, very sad. Given recent events in our family with Eamon driving straight into a tree at 100kmh, and seeing the condition of his car, it makes me very glad he was so lucky. And I am glad he didnt hit anyone else.

Condolences to the poor families of the people who died. They must be devastated.

I hate to say it, but the Vic govt needs to learn that there is more to lowering road deaths and accidents than just whacking up speed cameras all over the place.

Hmmmmm.

[The Monty]

What an impact. That is sad, so very very sad.

[TZENU]

And to think it could have happened to you.. Makes you appreciate life more, thats for sure!. It's a shame that the innocent ones are the ones that lose their life..

[max]

Gawd. How gruesome. Who would want to be an ambo?

[Tuddy200]

: There is large discussion everyway about introduecing new laws to deter speeders and hoons. I think they take a step in the right direction, however it has been proven here that it might not be an open direction.

Speed was the major factor at why those that died did, but it wasn't the factor at which why the car was on the other side of the road to begin with. They need to give more driver education at a young age, and after reading some of the ideas that it could have been suicide then maybe a psyc interview should become a regular test before getting behind the wheel of a car.

Road Standards are shocking compared to other countries. We have proven 'unsafe' cars on the road, no matter how road worthy they are 20 years old. I can be taught how to drive the car, then be let loose after one license test, with no education on the effects of driving conditions/weather etc, also the effects of substances. It has to hit young people really close to thier hearts to scare them, and not risk stupid driving behaviour.

High Petrol, High Insurance, High Car Prices, Speed Cameras just don't cut it. I wish the goverment would wake to themselves and stop trying to make it the police's task of lowering the road toll and develop a task force specifically developed to tackle this issue and work with the police. Then the police could also have more free time to make our streets safer instead of patrolling places like Noble Park or Saturday Nights.

[Psycho Chicken]

Originally Posted by BLKPhoon

Yeah I'm confused on which car was at fault as both seem to have airbags?

I'd say that's a sheet in the Stato.

[LUXO_8]

yeah the stato is a VQ.(VN era)....you can tell from the first pic posted.....they never had airbags back then...(88-92)

the other car is a VS (well...its got VS berlina wheels)


aparently the 19 year old was seen entering the wrong side of the freeway at the forsyth rd overpass.(the last hoppers crossing exit) im not overly clear on where the accident happened, but 4km back from there would almost be the werribee south overpass....... thats a damn long way to be on the wrong side of the road and not realise..

as a guess i'd say it'd be a suicide attempt.....why the hell didnt he park himself into a pole or tree or something....... instead of killing 2 innocent people....

i hope the surviving driver doesnt die, so he has to live with it for the rest of his life.....

[mattp]

Similar thing happened here in Brisbane with a guy driving on the wrong side of the freeway, he was hopped up on amphetamines, and I'd put money on the guy in the white Berlina being on something too. I used to work with the 2 guys that were killed, I didn't know them particularly well, but what a tragic waste of life. They were just overtaking the truck when the idiot came out of nowhere the wrong way, there's no indication they were doing anything wrong at all. Considering the closure speed was over 200kph, no wonder it's such a mess.

[Keepleft]

Originally Posted by Grum

The thing that has always got me is why (in NSW anyway) they provide translated versions of the road rules and can translate the tests for you but to be able to drive you need to understand English.
It is stupid. About a year ago the mayor of cabramatta (very Asian suburb of western Sydney) wanted to have parking signs in Chinese. This is stupid, if people want to have the privilege of driving in this country they need to speak and read English.

To clarify, NSW's primary driver manual, 'The Road Users' Handbook' is available in many languages. Other state agencies offer similar.

To sit the test, a translator is available if needed.

I agree English should be a full on requirement. That said, our REoad Traffic signs are international, well most of the key signs are, and the exact same signs (speed and traffic control) appear in Iraq as they do in China or Fiji. Thye use symbols, example the Information or wheelchar sign. No Entry etc are all part of the UN Convention on Road Traffic Signs.

AUS does however use very many unique signs that foreigners/tourists will not recognise. NZ is far more world compliant in this respect than we.