A father whose son died in a tragic accident has called on police to do more to tackle road safety after a series of horror fatal crashes.
Six people have died while six others suffered various injuries in three major crashes in Western Australia over the weekend.
State Highway Patrol Commander Mike Bell revealed that Daniel Campo, father of 18-year-old aspiring soccer star Nick, called him Saturday night to ask for changes to traffic safety messages.
He said Campo was shocked by the deaths of three men, one aged 34 and two aged 22, when the car they were traveling in crashed into a tree in Perth that morning.
The tragedy “obviously reminded him” of his son’s death when the van he was traveling in, allegedly driven dangerously by a companion, crashed on July 13.
Despite their heartbreak, Nick’s parents have spent the months since his death urging young Australians to stay safe on the roads.
“He’s just exasperated that his message for young people to slow down and drive to the conditions and for parents to talk to their children about the need to follow safety rules is not getting through,” Commander Bell told the West Australian.
“I can understand your frustration because I’ve been doing it a lot longer than 14 weeks and I feel the same frustration.”
The father of a teenager who died in a tragic car crash, Daniel Campo (pictured), has called on WA Police to increase road safety messaging after a weekend of terror on the state’s roads.
Washington Highway Patrol Commander Mike Bell (pictured) said he was “feeling the same frustration” as Mr Campo that “the safety rules just don’t reach” young people.
The police commander added that WA Police will have to “find new ways to reach people” after Campos’ previous pleas appeared to fall on deaf ears.
“Driving is a dangerous occupation and you have to pay attention because things happen unexpectedly,” he said.
“Sometimes driver behavior directly contributes to those accidents.”
The alleged driver of the ute that crashed on Saturday, Zack Thomas Heylen, faced Northbridge Magistrates Court at a bedside hearing on Sunday.
Police allege the 22-year-old was driving at 114km/h in a 70km/h zone when he hit a curb and then crashed into a tree shortly after 5am in Carlisle, Perth.
A preliminary breath test allegedly returned 0.095, but police are still awaiting the results of a second test.
Heylen suffered minor injuries, while two other men, aged 23 and 19, were rushed to Royal Perth Hospital in serious conditions.
Within hours of their court appearance, police confirmed the deaths of two Indonesian women in another crash in Neergabby, north of Perth, on Saturday afternoon.
Six people died in three crashes over the weekend, three of them when a car reportedly traveling at high speed crashed into a curb before crashing into a tree on Saturday (pictured).
The crash “obviously reminded” Mr Campo of the death of his 18-year-old son Nick (pictured) when his partner allegedly crashed a ute he was in on July 13.
The 23- and 31-year-olds suffered serious injuries after their Honda Accord collided with a silver Jeep Cherokee. They could not be revived.
Paramedics treated the driver of the Jeep and four passengers for varying levels of non-life-threatening injuries at the scene.
The sixth death occurred after an 83-year-old woman suffered a medical episode while driving in Alexander Heights, north of Perth, and crashed into another vehicle.
The horror weekend raised WA’s road toll to 146, just below last year’s total of 158, and raised alarm bells for the state government.
“My team is working on the road safety summit recommendations,” said Prime Minister Roger Cook.
“Particularly when we hear people like Daniel Campo begging, can we keep our youth, our young adults, a little bit safer this year?”
Nick Campo was celebrating his 18th birthday the night he died in a terrible accident.
Cook said his government would “continue to invest billions in our regional road safety improvements” but echoed calls for young people to practice safe driving.
‘It’s very simple: don’t be distracted by your mobile phone, don’t drive tired, don’t drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, wear your seat belt.
“Make good decisions and drive according to the conditions.”
