Queensland road toll highest since 2009 after 299 fatalities

Queensland police will roll out more breath tests and cameras in a bid to halt the state’s spiralling road toll.

• Faces of Queensland’s tragic 2022 road toll

Police have pledged to roll out more roadside breath tests and speed cameras in a bid to get the road toll down, as Queensland records the highest number of fatalities in more than a decade.

Last year saw 299 people lose their lives on Queensland roads – the most since 2009, when 331 people died.

A 10-year-old boy who was a passenger in a single vehicle crash in Far North Queensland on December 18 died of his injuries Sunday morning, and was the final victim added to the tragic road toll.

His death followed the shocking death of 20-year-old Jasmyne Lloyd and her 80-year-old passenger after the car they were travelling in was hit by a falling tree in the Glasshouse Mountains on New Year’s Eve.

The tragedy sparked an outpouring of grief on social media, including from Mrs Lloyd’s devastated husband, Dylan Lloyd.

“No words can describe my heartbreak,” he said.

The couple had been married for three months and 29 days, Mr Lloyd said.

Acting chief Superintendent Christopher Stream said the “fatal 5” – speeding, drink and drug driving, fatigue, seatbelts and mobile phones – were a major contributor to the “horrific number”.

Acting Chief Superintendent Christopher Stream talks to media about road fatalities recorded in Queensland in 2022. Picture Lachie Millard

“These are people’s lives that have been lost, and largely the majority of these accidents were preventable,” he said.

“We know that we’ve seen increased levels of vehicle travel and traffic across the road network since we’ve moved out of (Covid) restrictions, and what we’ve seen is increased risky behaviour.

“We have seen drivers selfishly taking to the roads being drug and drink affected, and we know that significantly increases your chances of being involved in a fatal traffic accident.

“Selfishly placing their lives at risk, but also the lives of others.”

The toll included more than 70 motorcycle riders and 29 pedestrians who lost their lives, while 12 people died after their vehicles were driven into flood waters.

“We can’t simply talk about those lives as statistics,” Mr Stream said.

“We will be introducing some new strategies across and throughout this year in an effort to tackle those road crashes and reduce the lives lost.

“So you will see increased random and drug testing conducted across different time frames.

“You’ll see increased rollouts of the camera program across the state as more of those cameras come online … things like point to point cameras, which we see have a significant effect on driver behaviour, as well as increased amount of combination red light and speed cameras at intersections that are known to have crash history.”

Acting Transport Minister Leeanne Enoch talks to media about road fatalities recorded in Queensland in 2022. Picture Lachie Millard

Asked whether the government had dropped the ball when it comes to road safety, acting Transport Minister Leeanne Enoch said ‘I don’t think that’s a fair description”.

“When you consider the huge investment in road safety, you cannot turn a corner without seeing and hearing about your responsibility as a driver on the roads,” she said.

“When you think about the strict measures we put in place with regards to one of the fatal five which of course is distraction – the mobile phone measures that we put in, and of course those penalties.

“We know that we’re looking at your mobile phone whilst you’re driving, utilizing your mobile phone whilst you’re driving is incredibly hazardous and that’s why those penalties were put in place.”