Literally a bumper to bumper to bumper fire and embers sale on mortality as the close out of 2017 renders a high yield crop of 70 spread out across the nation's road over Christmas and New Year's.
New South Wales a stunning blight with 28 down for the count to up their calamity. Well tipped over the double from last year, it's enough to make the police express emotions of despair in reviewing the high numbers from Operation Safe Arrival. Even those kind of numbers are low overall.
Right on the night train it's Victoria at 20 and again with another doubled up effort compared to last year. It's raw numbers like these that are scraped off the statistics and chart a return to form for those chilling down south of South.
It's then into the haze and fog with the whole "this nation doesn't play by state's rules" when we look into the rock of Queensland. They may shift around their Festive Break over the Christmas and New Year span from 23 December 2017 to 3 January but for now we'll count their 10 as a definitive for at least the span of things to count.
Beaking around from last year, this time it's South Australia coming up forth with 6 on the period for what they call Operation Safe Holidays and showing a minor improvement. Even the junkies are out there helping out with no time for the shakes.
Western Australia, not really out there showcasing what's posting, are given a 5 for the period, scanning their social and tallying the bananas that rate a mention. It's not accurate, but it's more accurate than driving while fatigued with the divider lined up with the gear stick.
Then things slow right down. The Northern Territory licks a bloody finger against the remains of the window pane and marks 1 for their efforts.
Nothing to show for the ACT or Tasmania. They didn't start last year, they didn't appear here either. Given all the other campaigns are "Safe" it's a tempting feat for Operation Crossroads to net nothing.
That's about the midnight sun between 15 December 2017 and 1 January 2018 for the call. A concerted effort by all for a near double up over 2017's closer. Number like these don't always come along, but when they do, it's a sheer mirror of running numbers off the road to see where the skid marks veer.
Written on Wednesday, 10 January 2018