A learner driver who reached 172km/h on a rural Tasmanian road put other lives at risk before a crash that killed him, a coroner has found.
Jesse Tyler Alexander was driving an unregistered 1991 Toyota Corolla along Elderslie Road, near Brighton, on the morning of November 27, 2021.
His learner licence limited him to 90km/h. He was travelling at almost twice that speed.
He had no L-plates, no supervising driver, false plates on the car and cannabis in his system. He was also using his mobile phone while driving.
Alexander had left home that morning angry and intent on confronting a family member, the coroner found.
His mother called him as he drove. He told her he was driving at “speed” and sounded “very upset and angry” before ending the call moments before the crash.
Coroner Leigh Mackey found Alexander’s use of the phone in those moments was likely a source of distraction.
As he neared the Rodbourne Road intersection, an oncoming driver slowed to turn right and crossed into Alexander’s lane.
The two vehicles collided and the Corolla was pushed into a stationary car.
Alexander died from multiple head, trunk and limb injuries.
The coroner said witnesses were alarmed by his speed that morning.
One said he thought Alexander was “going to kill himself or someone else” at the speed he was travelling.
A forensic engineer found that, had Alexander been travelling at 100km/h, the ute would have had time to clear the intersection safely.
The oncoming driver was charged with causing death by negligent driving, but the charge was later discontinued.
Mackey accepted that Alexander’s speed deprived the driver of time to react and avoid the crash.
“… Mr Alexander exposed himself and other road users in his vicinity to a significant risk of accident and injury,” Mackey said.
The coroner made no recommendations.
