A Tasmanian police officer was taken to hospital after his new patrol car was involved in a crash with another vehicle on Tasmania's main highway on Friday night — two days after the same vehicle was used to launch a new road safety campaign.
Police said the acting sergeant in his late 50s was flown to the Royal Hobart Hospital by helicopter and was released after being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
The three occupants of the other car were not injured.
Police said crash investigators were conducting inquiries and the Tasmania Police Professional Standards Unit would monitor the investigation.
The crash comes two days after Tasmania Police publicly launched its new Kia Stinger highway patrol vehicles, which it said were "adding to the wide range of high-visibility resources available for the new Road Policing Services unit".
The car involved in Friday's crash is the same car police featured in their announcement on Wednesday.
Tasmania Police Detective Inspector Rebecca Davis said "early indications" were that at the time of Friday's crash the driver of the Kia Stinger patrol car had "detected a speeding vehicle that was travelling south".
"[The driver] slowed, activated the emergency lights and conducted a U-turn on to the southbound road," she said.
She encouraged anyone with dashcam footage of the crash to contact police on 131 444 or through the CrimeStoppers website.
The crashed car is one of nine new Kia Stinger patrol cars working across Tasmania.
On Thursday, it was announced Inspector Gary Williams had "commenced in the brand-new role of state road safety coordinator".
"We're throwing everything we can at making our roads safer, including these brand-new highway patrol vehicles, and we're using other resources like drones and our community evidence portal to help us track down traffic offenders," Inspector Williams said in a statement on Thursday.
"Talk to your family, talk to your friends, talk to your children, about making the right choices on our roads and make it clear that none of us should be taking risks or thinking we're above the rules.
"Being 'a good driver' is irrelevant. It's time for everyone to take road safety seriously."
