4WD speeds can be monitored

ROB Rye, who has more than 20 years experience dragging broken vehicles off Fraser Island and Rainbow Beach, says a simple device can reduce 4WD accidents.

Picture: Craig Warhurst

ROB Rye has more than 20 years experience dragging broken vehicles off Fraser Island and Rainbow Beach and says a simple GPS tracking device may help reduce accidents in the region.

Mr Rye the owner of Rainbow Beach RACQ was speaking out after hearing of the horrific accident that killed two backpackers on Fraser Island last weekend.

Mr Rye said 90 per cent of major accidents on Fraser involved backpackers and their inexperience behind the wheel was the major problem.

“They are taking someone out of the middle of England and dropping them on Fraser in driving conditions they have never seen before,” Mr Rye said.

He said speed was one of the major factors, but instead of lowering the limit for all drivers, Mr Rye said a low cost GPS system could be set up in backpacker vehicles to monitor their speeds.

If the 4WD vehicle exceeded the nominated speed an alert would be sent to the 4WD hire company to advise of the speed limit breach.

The 4WD hire company could put in place contracts that fine hirers if they exceeded the predetermined limits.

“It is a better way of targeting people who are causing the problems, instead of everyone,' Mr Rye said.

“If people knew they were being watched and if they went over nominated speed limits they would be fined it would have to slow them down,” he said.

Mr Rye is currently in the middle of setting up the system on all of his RACQ vehicles.

“It works well I can see where all my trucks are when ever I want.

“It tells me if they my drivers are speeding, stopped, even if the ignition is on or off.”

Mr Rye said the system has the dual role of being a safety device.

He said if the government put an extra mobile tower on the eastern beach of Fraser Island the system would be able to alert the authorities if there had been a crash and give the exact location of the accident. He said the way things were now it can take hours for rescue crews to reach an accident.

Originally published as 4WD speeds can be monitored