Queensland motorists warned as horror 2022 road toll grows

Queensland is on track for its worst road toll in years and there is one aspect that is particularly concerning for authorities.

Queenslanders are being urged to take greater care on the state’s roads amid a surge in the number of people losing their lives in crashes.

Tragically, 193 people have lost their lives on Queensland roads so far this year, which is 12 more than the same time last year.

That is disturbing in itself because 2021 was our worst year for a number of years,” Queensland Police Chief Superintendent Andrew Pilotto said.

Of the 193 road fatalities so far this year, 153 have been on rural and regional roads.

“We’re quite concerned about road fatalities, but of equal concern is the number of road fatalities we’ve had on rural and regional roads outside of South East Queensland.”

Queensland Police Acting Chief Superintendent Andrew Pilotto with QG Air's Darren O'Brien and Patrick Gillespie. Picture: Matt Johnston

Superintendent Pilotto said that country roads presented unique challenges to motorists including wild animals, complacency, and fatigue.

“People are not used to what fatigue feels like out of city driving, and that does contribute to that road toll,” he said.

Exceeding speed limits was also singled out as another major cause of regional road fatalities.

“People speed in the country to get there quicker because you’ve got a lot further to go,” Superintendent Pilotto said.

He said while 60 per cent of crashes were in regional Queensland, they accounted for 80 per cent of the state’s fatalities.

“ … so you can see the disparity there, and that is around access to medical services and getting you to a hospital.”

Queensland Government Air rescue chopper pilot, Darren O’Brien, said while rescue helicopter crews were well equipped to deal with emergency situations, “if we’ve got to go a distance and minutes matter, sometimes the outcomes aren’t positive”.

Queensland Police Acting Chief Superintendent Andrew Pilotto with QG Air's Darren O'Brien and Patrick Gillespie. Picture: Matt Johnston

“Our message is if you’re out there and driving rurally slow down and take your time, please think of the bigger picture and don’t push; if you’re fatigued take a rest,” he said.

“Take your time because at the end of the day, the amount of carnage that we see on the roads because people have fallen asleep and drifted into the other lane and there’s been a head on, if everyone could see that, people wouldn’t even entertain the idea of driving when they’re tired.”

The warning comes during Queensland’s Road Safety Week, which raises awareness about the tragic outcomes of careless driving, drink and drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt, excessive speed and distracted driving, including mobile phone use.