Why cop at scene of 500 crashes wants four lane pledge fulfilled

One of Queensland's longest serving forensic crash investigators says four-lane highways save lives – he’s seen the proof.

Retired police forensic crash investigator Steve Webb. Mr Webb spent over 30 years in the police force and is backing a four lane Tiaro bypass for better road safety. Stuart Fast

Retired Forensic Crash Investigator Steve Webb has welcomed a historic shift towards a four-lane bypass in one of the state’s deadliest stretches of road.

It comes after the Federal Government agreed to fund its share of four lanes rather than two at Tiaro following advocacy from Wide Bay MP Llew O’Brien and News Corp’s regional titles the Fraser Coast Chronicle and Gympie Times.

Mr Webb, who now dedicates much of his time to a military museum in Maryborough, joined the police service in 1982, serving across Queensland from the southeast to the Far North.

In his now hometown he helped set up the Wide Bay Burnett Forensic Crash Unit and subsequently saw the consequences of both driver error and when drivers in the right had nowhere to go after an oncoming vehicle drifted to their side on a two-lane stretch.

“During my time as a crash investigator, I investigated over 500 fatal road crashes … I’ve investigated a number of crashes in the Tiaro area,” he said.

Mr Webb said the Bruce Highway bottlenecked through Tiaro and it was best for a four lane bypass to be built for safety and to avoid having to go a second time with inevitable expansion in the future.

“Four lane highways separate the north and south bound lanes, a good example is the Bruce Highway south of Gympie. It has saved lives over the years,” he said.

“The Tiaro area is regarded as a fatigue area, two or three hours from Brisbane and three hours from Rockhampton … the number of crashes I investigated on this highway involving fatigue was staggering.”

The scene of a truck and car crash at Tinana on the Bruce Highway.

He said drivers that fell asleep on the current section of the highway risked head on collisions because of a lack of dividing barriers but even if a barrier was in place for two lane, building four now would save money in the future.

Along with helping preserve military history, ‘Webby’ as he has long been affectionately known, volunteers with Rotary Youth Driver Awareness program, leading frank conversations with young drivers between 17 and 24 who are most at risk from road crashes, educating them about road safety and how to properly look after their cars.

“I’d like to see people be more careful out there,” Mr Webb said