A shock increase in Queensland’s road toll as earnt a rebuke from Roads Australia

Australia’s peak road body has called for Queensland drivers to slow down after a shock spike in the road toll, despite there being markedly less traffic on our roads during the COVID-19 restrictions.

Australia’s peak road body has called for Queensland drivers to slow down after a shock spike in the road toll.

Roads Australia said Queensland had disappointingly bucked national and interstate trends with an increase in road deaths despite a 30 per cent reduction in traffic volumes due to COVID-19.

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Queensland has seen 68 fatalities on its roads this year compared to 58 for the same period last year. However the 16 % spike comes at a time when roadways are comparatively empty thanks to home confinement laws.

The rise in Queensland road deaths contrast a 12.5 per cent dive in the national road toll at the end March.

In Victoria, the year-to-date toll is currently 17.3 per cent lower while NSW has seen a massive 30 per cent reduction.

Michael Kilgariff, Roads Australia

Roads Australia CEO Michael Kilgariff urged road users to show the same caution on the state’s roads as they are in dealing with the COVID pandemic.

“With fewer cars on the road because of stay-at-home restrictions, police and emergency service personnel would have been hoping for a commensurate reduction in accidents, injuries and fatalities,” he said.

“Instead, the reports out of Queensland point to an increase in risky behaviours like speeding. It’s also unfathomable that we are still seeing not wearing of seatbelts showing up in accident statistics.”

Mr Kilgariff’s comments follow similar sentiments made by Transport Minister Mark Bailey last week.

Police have also raised concerns about the doubling of the road toll in a matter of weeks.

The 68 fatalities in Queensland are the result of 63 crashes. The latest deadly collision occurred this morning on the Sunshine Coast when a 90-year-old man on a mobility scooter was hit by a car.

The grim figures include 31 drivers, 10 passengers, 15 motorcyclists, two bicycle riders and nine pedestrians.

Twelve of the fatalities involved trucks.

The North Coast and Wide Bay Burnett area has fared the worst with 20 deaths, followed by Central Queensland with 14.

There were 11 deaths in and around Brisbane, nine in North Queensland, seven on the Gold Coast and surrounds and six on the south west.

Mr Kilgariff said despite COVID-19 restrictions the road industry was still getting on with the job of building and maintaining roads.

Four Victoria Police officers have been killed and a man is on the run after an accident on the Eastern Freeway near the suburb of Kew. A multi vehicle car accident involving a truck and Victoria Police on the Eastern Freeway between Chandler Hwy and Burke Road. Picture: Mark Stewart

He said last week’s tragic death of four Victorian police officers on Melbourne’s Eastern Freeway in a truck crash underlined the risks taken by emergency services personnel and road workers in live traffic situations.

“We’re talking about people who are out there day and night in all sorts of weather, building bridges and roads, filling potholes and resealing pavements, installing safety barriers, clearing culverts and saving lives,” he said.

“The message is simple – no matter how light the traffic or the time of day, if you are passing a worksite, a broken-down vehicle or police or ambulance on the side of the road, be alert and slow down.”