Road safety advocate calls for change to Cunningham Highway after Tregony fatal truck crash

A tragic fatal truck crash on a major regional highway has a heavy vehicle road safety advocate calling for change. DETAILS.

A heavy vehicle road safety advocate says more needs to be done to protect truck drivers and other motorists after two men died on a notorious stretch of a regional Queensland highway.

A notorious stretch of a regional highway has claimed two more lives, with the tragic event leading to calls for major safety upgrades.

In the early hours of November 7, two trucks travelling in opposite directions on the Cunningham Highway at Tregony collided, causing the vehicles to roll.

An Isuzu FTR and a prime mover were identified as the two vehicles involved. One of the drivers, a 45-year-old man, and his 30-year-old male passenger died at the scene.

Another six people reportedly sustained minor injuries, and the highway remained closed for almost 20 hours.

Drone footage shows the scene of a double fatal truck rollover on the Cunningham Highway at Tregony. Images: ABC News

Road safety advocate and long distance truckie Rod Hannifey said more needs to be done to protect heavy vehicle operators and other road users travelling through Cunninghams Gap.

Over the past 25 years Mr Hannifey has contributed to road safety inquiries, submissions to governments and industry in a bid to make our roads safer after having encountered numerous of life-altering near misses.

“If you’re unfamiliar with the road and come down off the top a bit quick, there’s nowhere for you to stop and let your brakes cool down,” he said.

“I’ve encountered a bloke sitting in the middle of the road who ran out of brakes coming down and he didn’t have hazards on or radio for help.”

Mr Hannifey said given how narrow some parts of the road on the gap are, drivers unfamiliar with the road could easily cut wide on another lane and cause an accident.

Truck and road safety advocate Rod Hannifey at the Regional Queensland Heavy Vehicle Safety Forum in Mackay on Wednesday, November 9, 2022. Picture: ANDREW KACIMAIWAI

The $86m Cunningham’s Gap reconstruction upgrades were announced in 2023 after an uproar from motorists urging action after the road was significantly damaged in the 2019 bushfires.

The Department of Transport and Main Roads lists benefits of the project as improving safety, improving network efficiency, better road access and restoring damaged infrastructure. Features of the project include 1.4km of continuous rockfall protection to minimise risk of damage from landslides as well as installation of cameras to monitor the slope of the highway also.

Additionally, there’s going to be the reinstallation of the left slow lane on the highway and roadside safety barriers to improve safety for motorists.

Due to the severity of damage and complexity of repairs required, the project is still expected to continue until mid-2025.

The massive $86m development project aims to upgrade the pass which many holiday makers enter the Southern Downs which was heavily damaged in 2019. Photo: Department of Transport and Main Roads

In a statement a Transport and Main Roads spokesman said the department’s thoughts and condolences were with the family and friends of those impacted by the fatal crash.

“One life lost on our roads is one too many,” the spokesman said.

“Safety measures on the Cunninghams Highway between the gap and towards Warwick include multiple public rest areas in the vicinity of Cunninghams Gap.

“On the western side, this includes the Gladfield Rest Area and the Fisher Park Rest Area. On the eastern side, this includes the Fassifern Memorial Park Rest. Additionally, there are service stations on either side of the range that provide facilities for heavy vehicles.”

The TMR spokesman said emergency stopping bays will be constructed as part of the project.

“TMR has engaged extensively with the Queensland Trucking Association regarding the restoration project. This includes jointly developing a series of videos to help truck drivers safely navigate Cunninghams Gap,” he said in the statement.

The stretch of the Cunningham Highway between Tregony and Warwick has recorded several serious crashes and another fatality occurred earlier this year.

Mr Hannifey said the combination of the design of the Toowoomba Bypass and the toll that comes with travelling through it meant more drivers were taking the Cunninghams Gap route.

“We’re having to waste a lot of money on fuel and brakes using the Toowoomba Bypass and now we’re stuck with it for another 50 odd years,” he said.

“There needs to be more consultation with truck drivers on these projects because we’re the ones who drive on those roads every day and know them well.”

The spate of horrific incidents involving trucks calls for improved licencing regulations which includes educating motorists on how to safely travel on roads with heavy vehicles.

“We only teach people enough to pass the test let alone how to drive on the road with trucks,” Mr Hannifey said.

Originally published as Road safety advocate calls for change to Cunningham Highway after Tregony fatal truck crash