Two major causes of crashes on Bowen roads named
Safety message driven home as fatalities soar across the region.
Whitsunday
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FATIGUE and speed have been dubbed the two biggest contributors to crashes on Bowen roads with a message being sent to drivers to stop and take a break to help save lives.
Road deaths on Mackay, Whitsunday and Isaac roads almost doubled over the past two years, with deaths rising from 12 in 2018-19 to 21 fatalities in 2019-20.
PCYC Bowen club manager Sergeant Michelle O'Regan said while Bowen had not recorded any fatalities so far this year, it was a responsibility shouldered by the entire community to keep the number of crashes low.
In honour of Queensland Road Safety Week this week, Sgt O'Regan headed out to the Bowen driver reviver site yesterday with representatives from the PCYC and Bowen Road Policing Unit Senior Constable James Kirk to help spread the road safety message to drivers.
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Sen-Constable Kirk said fatigue and speed were two major factors that contributed to Bowen crashes.
"Being in between two major towns (Townsville and Mackay) people always want to get there," he said.
"A lot of the reasons we have crashes is fatigue, people nodding off and going off to the other side of the road.
"If you're tired, just find somewhere to stop safely and have a quick break."
Sen-Constable Kirk also advised drivers towing caravans to be considerate of others on the road because if people get frustrated they could overtake unsafely.
"In overtaking lanes, just slow down so they can all overtake you," he said.
Sgt O'Regan said many people also were not aware of the danger of distractions.
Glancing away for just two seconds while travelling at 100km/h meant the car would take 55.56m to stop in an emergency, she said.
"I think people realise the reaction time and the effects of a slow reaction," she said.
While it was important for drivers to be aware of these dangers, she said other community members such as children on bikes or those learning to cross the road needed to know how to do so safely.
Sgt O'Regan also visited Merinda State School yesterday to help instil these important lessons in students.
Merinda State School principal Ryan Gilmour said because many children at the school lived in rural areas, they may not be accustomed to seeing a lot of traffic but also could spend a lot of time on motorbikes.
With rail crossings also close to the school, Mr Gilmour said it was important to ensure students were safe and aware.
"If they can learn it now then hopefully it's going to have a positive impact when they're driving," he said.
"The kids get exciting about these things so they spread it to their families as well and sometimes it's a powerful thing coming from the back seat."
Sgt O'Regan said given road fatalities were up across the region, Road Safety Week provided an opportunity for a timely reminder for those passing through the community to do so safely.
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