Gympie, Fraser Coast, Bundaberg named QLD worst for road fatalities

As Queensland grapples with one of its worst ever road tolls following the 200th death this year, examples of dangerous driver behaviour continue to pepper courtrooms in Gympie, Bundaberg and Fraser Coast.

A fatal crash involving a school bus at Wolvi contibuted to the Wide Bay Burnett recording mroe than two dozen road deaths this year, the worst of any region in Queensland. Photos: Scott Kovacevic

The simple messages about driver behaviour on the roads do not seem to be sinking in, according to Wide Bay police, with the region in the running for the grim title of Queensland’s road fatal capital.

More than 10 per cent of deaths on Queensland roads in 2021 have occurred in the Wide Bay Burnett.

There have been 27 deaths in the Wide Bay; a sad contributor to a toll which hit the 200 mark following the death of a crane driver on the Gold Coast on Thursday.

The Darling Downs had the second-worst road toll, with 21 deaths, followed by 19 at Townsville.

Police have called for people to take responsibility behind the wheel with a Hervey Bay woman caught driving on the wrong side of the road on Thursday night at nearly five times the legal limit.

The 43-year-old allegedly returned a BAC reading of .241.

She was charged with high range drink driving, issued fines for not wearing seatbelt and driving in the wrong lane and will front Hervey Bay Magistrates Court on October 14.

There have been 27 deaths on roads across the Wide Bay Burnett since the start of the year, including a 61-year-old woman killed in a crash at Tinana in June.

Those tasked with the job of attending the horrific crash scenes said the cause often boiled down to a familiar refrain.

Mobile phone use behind the wheel was a big problem, Crash Investigations Unit Wide Bay officer Senior Constable Lee Chamberlain said.

Constable Chamberlain said phones now kept records of times apps were used or when home screens were turned on.

If people were caught on camera using it or in a crash, the full record of when it was used was available to police.

“If we go in and search your phone, you‘ll be going to jail,” he said.

“Put the phone in the glove box.

Senior Constable Lee Chamberlain said mobile phones continued to be a big factor when it came to road crashes.

“Until they or family or friends are directly impacted, they think ‘it doesn’t affect me’,” Const Chamberlain said.

Driver training was another problem.

Deadly habits could easily be ingrained in young drivers.

The 100 hours rule was good but at the end of the day training was only as good as the people giving it, Const Chamberlain said.

If parents routinely drove 10km over the speed limit or ran amber lights it was not uncommon for their own children to pick up those same habits.

He said people would benefit from seeking “other perspectives”, like those offered in defensive driver courses.

“It would be very beneficial for a driver to seek driver training and input from a professional other than their parents.”

Imbil police Sergeant Bill Greer said people became complacent behind the wheel because nothing happened 99.9 per cent of the time.

Imbil Police division Sergeant Bill Greer was surprised by how many fatal crashes the Wide Bay had recorded this year.

“It‘s an unfortunate thing to be leading the way in,” he said.

There had been three fatal crashes in his patch this year and “all three came down to driver error”.

It a sadly recurring theme despite years of driver education campaigns, with a common element.

“It comes down to complacency,” Sergeant Greer said.

“We all drive cars every day and 99.9 per cent of the time nothing happens.

“Then one day it happens.”

The condition of the roads did not help, he said.

“The roads in the Imbil division, some of them are not great,” he said.

He pointed to the Mary Valley Highway stretching from Gympie south through the Mary Valley.

“Drive on it and it will answer some of your questions,” he said.

There were ongoing discussions about it between Gympie Regional Council and the State Government, but proposals like dropping the speed limit “doesn‘t necessarily resolve the problem”.

“People still need to drive to the conditions of the road.”