Police

There are some things that are so painfully obvious it's hard to believe we need to explain them to people.

As the search continues for the next generation of highway patrol car, we reveal the tricks and traps for carmakers looking to break into the lucrative police car market.

Kia Australia has wet the bitumen in the lead up to the September launch of its red-hot Stinger liftback by confirming three specification levels

Victorian motorists looking to escape from police pursuit will now have a much harder time doing so with the addition of a twin-turbo V6 Mercedes-AMG E 43 to the Victoria Police stable.

Almost fifty years ago, an unusual police vehicle patrolled Australian roads, partnering with the likes of the Ford Falcon, Holden Kingswood and Valiant Charger - the humble Mini Cooper.

Fleet of Volvo SUVs roll out in western NSW as part of Operation Westforce.

BMW is ready to put its best foot forward

With Australian manufacturing winding down by year's end, the Victorian police force will turn to imported models to replace its fleet

For decades, the Christmas period has been marred by horrific road deaths, but this once-notorious road toll has been dropping sharply to the point where the fatality rate at Christmas is now well below the average for the year.On average, 3.2 people die on Australia's roads every day, although many more are seriously injured. Had this rate prevailed over the past 11 days, 35 people would have been killed on our roads, but instead the toll so far is a much lower 25 or 2.3 per day.These results are at odds with some of alarmist claims reported in the media. A Fairfax columnist wrote yesterday that "it has been an appalling holiday season on Australia's roads".Massive police resources have certainly had an impact, as has the threat of double demerit points, according to Assistant Commissioner John Hartley, who commands NSW Police's Traffic and Highway Patrol."Good drivers drive better over this period. They are extra-cautious. The double demerit points highlight the road safety message," he said.NSW yesterday reported its lowest road toll since 1923 with just 309 deaths for 2014, but drug and mobile phone use are two emerging threats to road safety.Analysis by the NSW Centre for Road Safety found that illicit drug use was a factor in about one in 10 fatalities, almost as many as drink driving. The focus on lower fatality numbers, however, tends to obscure the full extent of road trauma.Better medical treatment has meant that fewer people die in accidents, but many more are left with serious injuries.Assistant Commissioner Hartley said about 5000 people were seriously injured in road accidents last year in NSW.Figures for 2008-09, the latest available national data, reveal that bout 9000 people were hospitalised in Australia with what is termed "high threat to life" injuries.While the road toll has fallen about 30 per cent since the early 2000s, the number of seriously injured people has increased by the same margin.The ACT, which has the lowest incidence of road deaths, did not record any deaths over the Christmas period, and only 10 for all of 2014. But about 700 people are injured on ACT roads each year.Sergeant Tracey Duck said driver awareness and joint programs between police and government had contributed to the lower-than-average road toll."It's also up to individual drivers to make a personal commitment to drive safely so that we can reduce road trauma in the ACT," Sergeant Duck said.Rebecca Ivers of the George Institute for Global Health said there needed to be "much more thought put into managing new technologies in cars and keeping abreast of technological developments".

Melbourne inner-city streets are set to get a lower 40km/h speed limit in a bid to boost safety and encourage more people to walk and cycle.