A Tasmanian police officer has been taken to hospital after his new patrol car crashed into another vehicle traveling in the same direction on Tasmania’s main highway on Friday night.
Key points:
- Tasmania Police showcased the new Kia Stinger highway patrol car on Wednesday on social media
- On Friday, the same car was involved in a crash on the Midland Highway, with the driver taken to hospital
- Tasmania Police’s Professional Standards Unit are monitoring the investigation, police said
Police said the acting sergeant in his late 50s was flown to the Royal Hobart Hospital by helicopter and was being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The three occupants of the other car were not injured.
Police said crash investigators were conducting inquiries and the Tasmania Police Professional Standards Unit would monitor the investigation.
The crash comes two days after Tasmania Police publicly launched its new Kia Stinger highway patrol vehicles, which it said were “adding to the wide range of high-visibility resources available for the new Road Policing Services unit”.
The car involved in Friday’s crash is the same car police featured in their announcement on Wednesday.
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On Thursday, it was announced Inspector Gary Williams had “begun in the brand-new role of state road safety coordinator.”
“We’re throwing everything we can at making our roads safer, including these brand-new highway patrol vehicles, and we’re using other resources like drones and our community evidence portal to help us track down traffic offenders,” Inspector Williams said in a statement on Thursday.
“Talk to your family, talk to your friends, talk to your children, about making the right choices on our roads and make it clear that none of us should be taking risks or thinking we’re above the rules.
“Being ‘a good driver’ is irrelevant. It’s time for everyone to take road safety seriously.”
It is unclear how many of the new Kia patrol cars police have on Tasmanian roads.
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