Following two fatal wrong-way collisions at the Mitchell Freeway's Romeo Road interchange in Perth's north, Main Roads Western Australia has committed to installing barriers this week to prevent drivers from accidentally turning into the northbound exit ramp instead of the southbound entrance ramp.
The first fatality occurred in October 2025 when 60-year-old Johnny Gray died in a head-on crash after driving the wrong way down the Mitchell Freeway off-ramp. A second wrong-way collision on 8 February not far away from where the first head-on happened resulted in the deaths of two people. Concerns about the intersection's design emerged immediately after the first crash.
James King, one of the first people at the scene of Gray's crash, noted the potential safety issue at the time. He observed that the significant distance between the entry and exit ramps could contribute to driver confusion, particularly during late-night driving when traffic volumes are light. "I go down Romeo Road a fair bit. I think having the entry and the exit so far apart, I'm not sure if that plays a part in it," King said. "Obviously, that late at night, there wouldn't be many cars around. You'd just be on autopilot, I'm guessing, and I could see how it happened."
Despite Main Roads installing additional pavement markings and larger signs in December 2025, the Mitchell Freeway and Romeo Road off-ramp continued to represent a confusion risk for some drivers seeking to turn southbound to Perth. The failure of these initial safety measures to prevent a second tragedy prompted calls for more decisive action.
The incident has drawn political scrutiny. The State Opposition called on the Cook Government to release the results of the investigation into October's wrong-way collision and explain what actions were taken in response to the identified problem ahead of the February incident.
Main Roads applies a Safe System approach that acknowledges the road system must be more forgiving of driver error, requiring a collaborative effort to address speed management, road infrastructure, and vehicle safety. The barrier installation represents a shift to physical infrastructure designed to prevent the type of fatal errors that have repeatedly occurred at this intersection.
For drivers using Romeo Road, the new barriers mark a critical acknowledgement that intersection design itself can play a decisive role in road safety, and that warning signs alone may be insufficient when confusion about a route's layout persists.