Darling Downs police launch Operation Mistletoe to drive down road death toll

There has been a 35 per cent increase in the number of lives lost on our roads in the past five years, with Queensland edging close to 300 lives lost in 2024.

Queensland is on track to have one of its most deadly years on record, with the road toll edging towards 300 lives lost.

As of this week, the state is sitting at 287 lives lost, up from 210 killed in 2019.

Across the Southern Region there have been a total of 59 lives lost with 29 recorded in the Darling Downs District, 18 in Ipswich District and 12 in South West District.

With large numbers of driver expected to hit the road over the Christmas period, Senior Sergeant Kim Hill from the Toowoomba Highway Patrol is calling on everyone to do their part to stem the loss of lives.

“We need to be courteous to each other, obey the road rules, ensure that we are not speeding, that we have our seatbelts on, that we are not driving impaired or distracted,” she said.

Senior Sergeant Kim Hill from the Toowoomba Highway Patrol is calling on motorists to be courteous and obey the road rules.

One thing that police have difficulty policing is fatigue. So if you’re on the road travelling long distances, particularly around the southern part of Queensland and western Queensland, please take the time to stop and have a rest and revive before you keep driving.

“It is better to arrive later than not at all,” she said.

Senior Sergeant Hill made the comments at the start of Operation Mistletoe, the Queensland Police Service’s annual Christmas Road safety blitz.

Running from today until January 27, police will be out in force on our roads in a mix of marked and unmarked vehicles to ensure drivers are doing the right thing.

“It is particularly distressing to know that we are continuing to lose members of our community on the road,” Senior Sergeant Hill said

“With some of the crashes that we’re seeing, the contributing factors are speeding, impairment and dangerous driving in general.

“Sometimes I believe it could be simply you’re thinking about other things, like you have to get home this afternoon, or you’ve got to pick up the kids.

“You have all these other things on my mind except what you are actually doing which is driving a vehicle.

“That should be your priority when you’re behind the wheel.”