Man, 33, charged over Boxing Day crash which closed Kuranda Range
A 33-year-old man will face court on several charges, including drink driving, over a crash which closed the Kuranda Range for several hours.
Cairns
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Police have charged one man over a crash which closed a major thoroughfare on Boxing Day and have warned drivers to take extreme care on wet roads after a spate of accidents caused havoc on Far North roads.
A 33-year-old Mareeba man is due to appear in the Mareeba Magistrates Court on January 23, charged with drink driving, failing to maintain proper control of a vehicle and unlicensed driving, after an incident on the range.
Police will allege that the man was towing a boat and failed to maintain control of the vehicle in wet weather while travelling around a bend near Rainforest Station.
With more rain predicted to fall over the weekend, police are asking drivers to slow down and drive to the conditions, especially on wet and slippery roads.
Several crashes were reported over the Christmas weekend, with the Kuranda Range closed a number of times.
Suzanne Fletcher uses the Kuranda Range road to get to and from work and when picking up her kids.
She said she believed more needed to be done to stop preventable accidents from happening.
“There needs to be at least fixed cameras up and down the range to make drivers slow down,” Ms Fletcher said.
“There are also issues with oil spillages, There needs to be signage with a free phone number that people can call to alert council or police in case of emergent situations.
“I’m a registered nurse so I see many accidents that can often be prevented.”
The 60-year-old man was very lucky to escape without injuries, while his truck suffered damage to the cab, steering and aircon unit on the roof.
Police have released a number of measures drivers can take to avoid traffic accidents in the wet weather including — slowing down and increasing breaking distance, take extra care when negotiating roundabouts, driving with headlights on to improve visibility, and checking the road for excess water.
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Originally published as Man, 33, charged over Boxing Day crash which closed Kuranda Range
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