West Australian Premier Colin Barnett has partly blamed the high number of deaths on country roads on regional communities.
The police union this week criticised the government and police force for not putting enough speed cameras in country towns, but Mr Barnett said country towns had to take more responsibility for how the behaviour of drivers caused the consistent high number of deaths in regional areas.
More than 70 per cent of the state's 2016 road deaths have occurred on country roads, representing 42 out of the 59 fatalities.Credit: Philip Gostelow
"I think, and this won't be liked, there is a greater responsibility on country communities to take some ownership of this problem and get away from a pattern of bad, irresponsible driving to one of safe and good driving," Mr Barnett told ABC Radio on Wednesday.
"To country people out there, look at your own community please, don't let these young guys... go out drinking and get behind the wheel.
"We can have more and more police out there but that, to me, smacks of an excuse. This is poor behaviour, poor community responsibility on an absolutely tragic situation."
More than 70 per cent of the state's 2016 road deaths have occurred on country roads, representing 42 out of the 59 fatalities.
Mr Barnett conceded there should be more police officers patrolling in the country, adding some roads weren't good enough either, but said the most obvious factor was the poor decisions being made by regional drivers.
The premier rejected accusations from the WA Police Union that the government was using hidden speed cameras as a tool to raise revenue, but agreed with the union's complaints about hidden speed cameras being used in Perth's suburbs.
"I've got to say, just as a motorist like everybody else, I don't like to see speed cameras hidden. I don't like to see contractors or police hiding behind bushes or anywhere else."
AAP