Coroner's Finding: TR
Demographics
17y, female
Date of death
2020-01-31
Finding date
2022-11-29
Cause of death
Multiple traumatic injuries sustained in a single vehicle motor vehicle crash
AI-generated summary
A 17-year-old provisional driver with 12 days of licensure died in a single-vehicle motor vehicle crash on a wet, steep, poorly-lit road at night. She was driving a manual transmission utility vehicle on Durkins Road in wet conditions at approximately 56 km/h minimum speed. The crash resulted from a combination of driver inexperience (both general and specific to this hazardous road), wet and slippery road conditions, and poor visibility. Toxicology was negative for alcohol and drugs. The coroner found her a competent driver based on her test performance but noted the combination of night driving, wet conditions, steep gradient, and inexperience created a loss-of-control scenario. Key lessons include: recognising the vulnerability of newly-licensed young drivers in adverse conditions; the importance of graduated licensing restrictions; and road infrastructure improvements to prevent similar crashes on this known hazardous stretch with previous similar incidents.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Contributing factors
- Driver inexperience (12 days post-licensure)
- Inexperience with this specific road
- Wet and slippery road conditions
- Night driving with poor visibility
- Steep downhill gradient
- High-risk road with history of similar crashes
- Possible inadequate headlight illumination (park lights only)
Coroner's recommendations
- Durkins Road be resealed with non-slip asphalt from the junction with Wrenswood Road for a distance of 350 metres
- Extension of Armco barrier on the southern side of the road to prevent vehicles running off and colliding with trees
- Officers from State Growth discuss with driving assessor Mr Faludi his suggestions for improving driver education beyond teaching to pass the test
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