Fatal crashes Darling Downs: Police plead for common sense on our roads as Christmas approaches

In the past four weeks, four young people have been killed in crashes across the Darling Downs, leaving their families and friends to mourn their loss when they should celebrating Christmas.

Melita Cupitt was a radiant 22-year-old country girl with an infectious smile, who was committed to living life to the fullest.

Will Turner had just graduated from high school but was already making a name for himself on Queensland’s campdraft circuit.

Brooke Dalton, 23, was a sister to all and had a lust for life that left a mark on everyone she met.

Her 27-year-old partner David Connolly was loved deeply by his family and friends and had his whole life ahead of him.

Sadly each of these young people were killed in preventable car crashes in the Darling Downs over the past month, leaving their family and friends in mourning when they should be celebrating Christmas.

David Connolly, 27, died from injuries sustained in the same crash that killed his girlfriend Brooke Dalton.

Brooke Dalton, 23, was tragically killed early hours of November 1 when a car struck a stationary prime mover in Dalby.

Their deaths come at the end of a horror year on our roads where young people were over represented in crash statistics leading police to make an impassioned plea to drivers to take greater care.

“The first responders who attend these crash scenes feel deeply for the friends and families of individuals who are lost tragically under circumstances that don’t have to occur,” Darling Downs Acting Superintendent Danny Shaw said.

“Each one is a wasted future and a huge loss to the community and their families when they had their whole lives still in front of them.”

To date 57 people have died in fatal crashes in the Queensland Police Service’s Southern Region, which takes in Toowoomba, Ipswich, the Lockyer Valley and southwest Queensland.

This is a 21 per cent increase on the same time as last year, when 47 people had died.

Unsurprisingly, about quarter of all road deaths in Queensland are people aged 24 years and under despite making up just 15 per cent of licence holders.

Melita Cupitt at the 2021 Warwick Rodeo. Melita has been identified as the crash victim who was tragically killed in a single-vehicle crash in Warwick

Young campdrafter William Turner, from Texas, was killed following a tragic accident on the Cunningham Highway, at Gladfield.

Research from Road Sense Australia found P-platers were significantly more likely to engage in some form of risky driving when compared to L-platers.

RSA put this down to a new-found sense of freedom when they no longer have a parent, guardian or instructor sitting in the passenger’s seat.

Another contributing factor was the age of the car, with many young people buying older, cheaper vehicles.

A 2018 study showed that in the previous five years, 80 per cent of drivers under 17 who died on the roads were driving vehicles older than 10 years.

These vehicles lacked the latest safety features, extended crumple zone or extra airbags.

Distraction also loomed large with RSA finding young people are more likely to die in crashes when there were multiple passengers in a vehicle or if the driver was using their mobile phone.

RSA pointed to another 2018 study that found 68 per cent of young people “felt intense peer pressure” when driving.

While the Forensic Crash Unit was continuing its investigations into the cause of the recent Darling Downs fatal crashes A/Supt Shaw said maturity and inexperience were a common thread with all crashes involving young people.

“It is just devastating,” he said.

“This happens year-on-year and it’s something we seem to be unable to avoid.

“Our deepest sympathies go out to anyone who sustained those losses and really we wish they didn’t occur.

“We want people to take their time, drive to the conditions and follow the road rules so they are not grieving the loss of someone when they should be celebrating.”