Push to cut North Queensland road deaths as holidays kick off

Eight lives have already been lost on Townsville roads in 2024, surpassing last year’s toll at this time. With the school holidays starting, police are pleading with drivers to stay vigilant and adhere to road rules to prevent further tragedies.

Police at a static roadside breath test site on Balls Lane in Mysterton as Operation Cold Snap rolls out for the school holidays. Picture: Natasha Emeck

As the school holidays begin, Townsville police are pleading with drivers to stay vigilant and adhere to road rules as a state-wide operation kicks off to curb the rising road toll.

The Townsville road toll for 2024 to date has already reached eight, a stark increase from the three deaths recorded at the same time last year.

This rise brings the numbers in line with 2022 and 2021, which saw six and eight fatalities, respectively, over the same period.

Operation Cold Snap will see police conducting static roadside breath test sites and high-visibility patrols across the state, including Townsville, starting on Saturday.

The aim is to curb the spike in road deaths and ensure the safety of all road users.

Unfortunately, the overall road toll for Queensland has also increased, with 133 fatalities reported so far this year, up by 17 from 2023.

Acting Senior Sergeant Nathan Ivey of the Townsville Highway Patrol expressed concern over the rising number of local fatal crashes.

“Obviously, that’s something that we would hope wouldn’t occur, but people do take risks and, yeah, unfortunate consequences occur as a result of that,” he said.

Townsville Highway Patrol Officer in Charge Acting Senior Sergeant Nathan Ivey. Picture: Natasha Emeck

He highlighted that motorcycle riders are particularly overrepresented in this year’s statistics.

With the holidays expected to increase highway traffic, police are urging motorists to be extra cautious.

Snr Sgt Ivey noted that highway crashes tend to be more severe due to higher speeds, especially when there’s a significant size difference between the vehicles involved.

“If there’s a truck involved or any other large vehicle, whoever’s smaller is going to come out on the losing end of that event,” he explained.

To combat this, police will be highly visible on highways across North Queensland over the next two weeks.

Snr Sgt Ivey stressed the importance of planning trips to avoid risky behaviours.

Police at a static roadside breath test site on Balls Lane in Mysterton as Operation Cold Snap rolls out for the school holidays. Picture: Natasha Emeck

“Traffic increases during the school holidays, and people often don’t allow themselves enough time to reach their destinations, leading to unnecessary risks,” he said.

“Pre-planning your trip and allowing sufficient time can prevent feelings of anxiety and the need to overtake when it’s unsafe to do so.”

Originally published as Push to cut North Queensland road deaths as holidays kick off