SPIKE IN ROAD CRASHES EGGS URGENT EASTER SAFETY MESSAGE
April 4, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SPIKE IN ROAD CRASHES EGGS URGENT EASTER SAFETY MESSAGE
An alarming spike in motor vehicle accidents has the region’s rescuers pleading for caution on the roads this Easter and during the school holidays.
From January to the end of March, RACQ CQ Rescue completed 146 missions, 11 of which were airlifting people injured in serious motor vehicle accidents in the region. This compared to only eight accidents in the first three months of last year and four in 2020, representing a very concerning upwards trend on the region’s road.
Motor vehicle accidents involving, car, trucks and motorbikes occurred across the length and breadth of the helicopter’s service region including Ayr, Moranbah, Collinsville, Nebo, Gargett and in the Whitsundays, with serious injuries requiring airlift to hospital predominantly including fractures, cranial and internal injuries.
Locally, a horror period of deaths on the roads included a doctor in her 20s who died in a head-on collision between a truck and Suzuki Swift on the Bruce Highway last week, a young man killed when his vehicle hit a tree near Kuttabul, west of Mackay, and a 44-year-old Clermont woman killed in a head-on collision on the Peak Downs Highway near Strathfield, both in February.
In the first 90 days of the year, a total of 71 fatalities were recorded on Queensland roads, as compared to 64 for the same period the year prior and only 42 in 2020. Statistics released by Queensland Police showed that 22 lives had been lost overall in February on the state’s roads, with 600 people injured in crashes. The number of lives lost on state roads by February 18 was 40, three times more than at the same time in 2021.
RACQ CQ Rescue pilot Owen Maitland said the message was very clear to all motorists this Easter – leave your phone alone when you are behind the wheel.
“The fatal five, particularly distracted driving, speeding and fatigue, are still playing a large part in serious road accidents and subsequent severe injury in this region,” he said.
“Distracted drivers are far too common. Sadly, we see it every day. You only have to pull up at a set of traffic lights and see drivers talking on their phones or sending a text message. This is a very serious threat not only to themselves and their passengers but to other road users as well. Mobile phones cause major distractions for drivers, on both long distance trips or even just around town, and largely increase the risk of accident, subsequent serious injury and even death,” Mr Maitland said.
“Please, for the sake of your loved ones and other road users, set up the Do Not Disturb While Driving function on your phone so you can stay focused behind the wheel. When this is on, text messages, calls and notifications will be limited so you can focus on the important job of getting to your destination safely.
“No message, notification or phone call is worth the risk to life and limb on the road. While we love our job and serving this community, we don’t want to meet you or your loved ones by accident this Easter,” he said.
RACQ Head of Public Policy Susan Furze urged Queenslanders to ensure they were up to the task of driving before they got behind the wheel and to plan their trip carefully.
“The Easter school holidays are traditionally a busy time for road trips and we’re concerned we’ll see a further spike in our already high road toll,” she said.
“The RACQ CQ Rescue crews do an amazing job, but we don’t want drivers meeting them because of a crash. Get a good night’s sleep and take a break every two hours, buckle up, put away phones and other distractions, and don’t speed or drive if you’ve been drinking or are affected by drugs.”
[ENDS]
RACQ CQ Rescue crews are very concerned about the alarming increase in missions as a result of motor vehicle accidents this year.
Please credit any released photos and video footage to RACQ CQ Rescue.
Please note: Full title of rescue service is RACQ CQ Rescue.
For further information please contact:
Naomi Noy
RACQ CQ Rescue
Ph: 0417 578 182