Mackay police beg drivers to be responsible as road toll reaches 17

A senior Mackay police officer has said the region’s road toll was ‘past the point’ of needing increased patrols as the road claimed another victim in a horror year for the district.

A senior Mackay police officer has begged motorists to take responsibility for their driving attitude as the region’s road toll reaches 17 following the tragic death of an Eimeo teen in a crash at Blacks Beach.

And with the majority linked to alcohol or speed, police are at their wits end.

“As humans we’re not invincible. We call them traffic accidents but people have made conscious decisions to speed, or drink drive, or drive an unregistered vehicle with no lights… contributing to these crashes,” Acting Inspector Anthony Cowan said.

William Baker, 17, is the latest victim of the Mackay district’s shocking road toll, which at 17 for the year so far is the highest in the past five years.

He was reportedly riding an unregistered bike with no lights in the dark along Blacks Beach Rd when he collided with the Blacks Beach Tavern courtesy bus as it was turning into Hancock St about 6.30pm on May 28.

Inspector Cowan said the issue of road safety was “past the point” of increased patrols and intercepts, adding this latest fatality was a prime example.

He said the Northern Beaches police division had undertaken 2500 random breath tests and intercepts in that week alone.

“And then you still have this happen on Saturday night,” he said.

“We can’t be on every street corner.

“You’ve got to have some responsibility when you’re driving a motor vehicle, you’re driving a one-tonne metal weapon basically.”

This latest death came 24 hours after Fatality Free Friday, and brings the number of fatal crashes in May to nine.

“We’re telling families every couple of days. Someone is losing a loved one because of decisions (drivers) are making on the road,” Inspector Cowan said.

“We have three full time forensic crash investigators and they are swamped at the moment.”

Inspector Cowan said in the same period in 2021 there had only been two traffic related deaths.

And the number of injury crashes for 2022 was not much higher than in 2021, he said, but the number of people dying was.

“The majority of these crashes we’ve had, especially this year in Mackay, have been the result of speed or alcohol,” he said.

Mackay Acting Inspector Anthony Cowan says Mackay drivers need to take responsibility.

“They’re totally avoidable. It’s a conscious decision to drive to a speed that’s unsafe where you can’t brake and react in time, or it’s a conscious decision to drink alcohol sometimes numerous times over the legal limit.

“There’s a conscious decision being made by people on our roads, these are the consequences.”

The frustration in his voice is clear.

“We’ve done so many extra patrols. We’ve done thousands of extra RBTs,” he said.

“I’m not sure how to get the message through.”