More deaths as risk takers hit the road under coronavirus restrictions

The state’s road toll is going up despite a misperception that roads were safer because of coronavirus restrictions.

The M1 at Loganholme was devoid of traffic during the coronavirus crackdown. AAP Image/Richard Gosling

THE state’s road toll is going up despite a misperception that roads were safer because of coronavirus restrictions.

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That is the finding from a survey by the Australian Road Safety Foundation which found there were 71 deaths on the state’s roads this year compared to 63 at the same time last year.

The statistics, released on Monday ahead of this year’s Fatality Free Friday on May 29, showed regional Queensland drivers were the worst risk takers.

The data revealed one in four regional drivers admitted to breaking the rules since the lockdown.

As more coronavirus restrictions are set to be relaxed this weekend, police are urging drivers to slow down and stop taking risks on the roads.

The plea, from Logan Chief Superintendent Brian Swan came before the startling national statistics showed drivers believed the roads were safer during the coronavirus and were taking greater risks.

Chief Superintendent Swan said his team was working with regional councils in Logan and Scenic Rim to ensure all were following the restrictions on the roads.

Logan District Chief Superintendent Brian Swan said the community had been well behaved but there had been issues on the roads especially at the border. Picture: Richard Walker

“We have seen some issues at the border but on the whole, people in both council areas have been compliant,” he said adding that speeding had been a problem over the past two weeks.

The findings also showed that two thirds of the region’s drivers believed the roads were safer under current conditions because there were fewer cars on the roads.

But the published state road toll of 71 deaths so far this year compared to 63 at the same time last year does not reflect drivers’ reasoning.

Further deaths can be added to the state figure, which was to May 4 with a man dying on the Pacific Highway at Loganholme and another died at Caboolture this week.

Nationally, the road toll tells a different story with 286 deaths compared to 327 in the same period last year.

Speeding was up on the M1 where there was no traffic at Loganholme. AAP Image/Richard Gosling

The alarming research confirmed that speeding was already the most common road rule broken, with three quarters of the region’s drivers admitting to being heavy footed.

The Australian Road Safety Foundation CEO Russell White said dangerous driving had risen by 19 per cent during the COVID-19 lockdown.

He said figures based on insurance claims research from Suncorp Insurance between 2015 and 2019 showed that about 30 per cent of accidents occurred in the driver’s own postcode, proving that even a short trip to the shops could be disastrous.

“What’s more, the most common risks being taken during COVID-19 after speeding include using a mobile phone while driving, which was up by 11 per cent, and driving after a few drinks with a 2 per cent rise,” he said.

“Sadly, with fewer cars on the roads during coronavirus, we’re seeing an increase in bad driver behaviour, which is unacceptable.

“Road trauma at any time is tragic, but it’s also largely preventable. While our incredible frontline medical and emergency services are already working harder than ever, is that text message or few extra minutes worth adding extra pressure on these resources?”

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Mr White said more than three quarters of regional Queensland drivers admitted to breaking a road law, with 45 per cent of those surveyed saying they were not paying attention.

Distraction also continued to be a common safety issue in the car, he said.

More than half of drivers admitted to eating while driving, with a quarter claiming to using their mobile phone, and a quarter owning up to looking away from the road at a GPS or music for more than two seconds.

The research was conducted by The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics and Pure Profile in March and April on behalf of the Australian Road Safety Foundation.

Last year, 1195 people died on the country’s roads with 219 of those in Queensland.