A 21-year-old motorcyclist has been killed following an attempted police intercept in Tasmania's north, adding to a mounting death toll on the state's roads.
The blue Honda motorbike crashed into a car at a busy intersection near Launceston's Seaport just before 6:30pm on Thursday.
Tasmania Police Commander Stuart Wilkinson said police had earlier attempted to intercept the motorcyclist when he was spotted speeding through the city centre.
He said the officers were about 100 metres behind the rider when the crash occurred.
"The reason for the intercept last night is subject to an investigation by Tasmania Police," Commander Wilkinson said.
"There's not only an investigation into the crash itself, but we're reviewing the actions of our own police. At this stage we're very satisfied the police actions were appropriate."
Commander Wilkinson said police activated their flashing lights and siren in attempt to get the motorcyclist to pull over.
"When the attempt was unsuccessful, the emergency equipment was deactivated, and shortly after that the vehicle was involved in the collision," he said.
"The rider received immediate medical treatment from police and there were a number of civilians in the area who also came over to assist. Unfortunately, all attempts to save his life were unsuccessful."
Fifteen people have died on Tasmania's roads so far this year. Six of those deaths have been motorcyclists.
Police are concerned about the high death toll, which is about three times higher than the figure at this time last year.
"We're very, very concerned about the number of fatalities on Tasmanian roads," Commander Wilkinson said.
"The number of motorcycles that have been involved in fatal crashes just recently is also a real concern to us."
Commander Wilkinson said drivers could expect to see a larger police presence around Tasmania throughout the Easter period.
"We're attempting to really saturate our roads with police and really drive home the importance of good driving behaviour," he said.
Tasmania, along with Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory, do not have double demerit schemes in place during this holiday period.
"That's not something that I'm considering," Commander Wilkinson said.
"We're doing anything we can to encourage people to take as much care on the roads as possible."
A report is being prepared for the coroner.
Anyone who witnessed the crash or has dash-cam footage of the motorcycle at the time is urged to contact police.
