morning.

A 42-year-old man died at the scene of the accident, 20km south of Tamworth near Goonoo Goonoo Station, just past midnight.

The man was a passenger in the back seat of a red Honda Civic hatchback, travelling north on the highway, when the driver allegedly swerved to avoid hitting a fox before the car left the road and crashed into an

embankment.

The accident occurred on a 1km straight strip of the highway where the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) is in the process of carrying out safety improvements including the installation of a right-turn lane for vehicles entering Gowrie Rd.

The crash occurred within the RTA’s work zone – about 60-70m before the end of the work.

An RTA spokesperson said there were a number of warning signs in place to encourage drivers to slow down on the approach to the work site where the speed limit is signposted as 60km/h.

The driver of the vehicle and the front seat passenger, aged in their early 20s, escaped the crash with minor injuries and were taken to Tamworth Hospital for treatment.

A crime scene was established and police officers from Oxley Crash Investigation Unit were brought in.

Traffic on the New England Highway was diverted for most of yesterday as police continued their investigations. Southbound traffic was diverted through Burgmans Lane onto Werris Creek Rd and northbound motorists were being diverted through Wallabadah. Police will prepare a report for the information of the coroner.

Wallabadah resident Deidre McDougall who has campaigned for more signage to be put in place on the highway near Wallabadah’s First Fleet Memorial said she, like many other residents who used the highway regularly, believed the stretch between Wallabadah and Tamworth was excellent.

“Maybe the quality of the road has something to do with the number of accidents.

“It’s a very good road, I couldn’t fault it and people probably relax because they know how easy it is to drive on and maybe they don’t pay as much attention to as they should.”

According to crash statistics provided by the RTA there have been more than 100 accidents on the New England Highway between Willow Tree and Tamworth in the past 12-18 months. These accidents have resulted in the death of six people and 46 injuries.