4WDs brought to heel

TAG-ALONG tours are saving lives and stopping carnage on Fraser Island.

David Robertson, pictured with a Toyota Troop Carrier before new seating laws came in, says tag-along tours have stopped the carnage on Fraser Island. Picture: Karleila Thomsen

TAG-ALONG tours are saving lives and stopping carnage on Fraser Island.

Statistics show the number of crashes on the island that left drivers or passengers hurt has been drastically cut from 31 to just eight since the guided tours were introduced in July 2010.

And there has not been a fatality on the island since then.

Reduced speed limits, vehicle safety regulations and boosted police operations have also helped cut the carnage at the popular tourist destination.

In the 22 months since July 2010, there have been just eight traffic crashes with injuries. This was out of a total of 15 crashes reported to police.

Of those 15, four were rollovers but only one of them involved a passenger being hurt.

Going back to January 2008, and the number of crashes that caused injuries was up at 31 while the reported crashes totalled 58.

Both figures were almost four times higher than they are now.

The reduction in crashes could be directly linked to the tag-along tours - where an experienced driver leads a fleet driven by tourists across the island - according to Fraser Coast 4WD Operators Association president David Robertson.

He said the four-wheel drive hire industry had lobbied government for the tours for many years before they were introduced.

"Not only have there not been any deaths, but there have also not been any serious or debilitating injuries," Mr Robertson said.

"We had backpackers returning home with spinal injuries that would take many, many months to heal."

A host of new safety measures were implemented following the deaths of three young tourists in two separate Fraser Island crashes in 2009.

The speed limit on Eastern Beach was cut from 100kmh to 80kmh, roof loads were banned and vehicles were required to have forward-facing seats and no more than eight passengers.

Police have also been involved with district and state officers performing speed checks and breath testing on Eastern Beach, where the majority of crashes occur.

Maryborough District Traffic Branch Sergeant Tony McCarthy said: "The tag-alongs and a number of other measures have been successful in reducing the number of road crashes, but that doesn't mean we can rest on our laurels," Sgt McCarthy said.

"We need to continue to enforce the road rules on Fraser Island and we'll be doing that with a visible police presence conducting RBTs, speed checks and vehicle safety inspections."

A inquest in 2010 into the deaths of tourists Ian Davy, Concetta dell'Angelo and Takeshi Sakai found that backpackers were being hired unsafe vehicles and given inadequate instructions on how to drive on sand.

John Hayes from Fraser Roving Backpackers said, "The safety issues have been addressed, but the main reason they were rolling over was driver stupidity, and they were just top heavy," Mr Hayes said.

Originally published as 4WDs brought to heel