THE traffic manager of the Limestone Coast Highway Patrol has a new face, with Sergeant Todd Reed taking on the top job following the relocation of Sergeant Paul Watts.
With a host of experience working in regional communities, Sgt Reed quickly accepted the position to lead the local traffic patrols.
“I’m excited to be in the role, which will present new challenges,” Sgt Reed said.
“We have a very motivated team right across the Limestone Coast and they will be deployed constantly for general deterrence.”
Sgt Reed started his career working for the patrols in Mount Gambier over a decade ago and returned again to work in the area two years ago.
He also worked in the small rural community of Tumby Bay for eight years and said he has seen the grave effects road traffic accidents can have on regional communities.
“I worked over there on the Eyre Peninsula and I really saw how much a fatal crash or accident of any kind can affect these rural areas,” he said.
“It probably drives my passion in trying to lower the road toll and deploy the resources of the highway patrol in the Limestone Coast local service area to try and achieve that.”
Now as a leader in the force, Sgt Reed hopes to strike the right balance between enforcement of the road rules and safety education.
“If we stop a vehicle and are able to alter driver behaviour with a caution and that behaviour is not repeated, then we have done a good job,” he said.
“We work with a lot of external agencies and stakeholders in the space of road safety and I am very keen to progress this as a cumulative issue, because it’s not always about enforcement.”
Sgt Reed said the biggest challenge of the role is to detect road users who have a total disregard for their own and others safety on the roads.
“We cannot be everywhere all the time, so there’s behaviour on the road that we cannot always alter, which is a challenge and it is also frustrating,” Sgt Reed said.
He also admitted there would be emotional challenges he would face that came with the role.
“Police are emotionally affected everytime there’s a death on our roads and it’s a daunting task to have to go and deal with what has happened on the road and the aftermath,” Sgt Reed said.
“To have to give the message to family members they are never going to see their loved ones again – that effects every officer regardless of their role or rank.”
