Queensland records deadliest road toll in a decade with more than 300 lives lost

Queensland has recorded its deadliest road toll in a decade, as Toowoomba motorists fail to heed the warnings from police during deadly holidays.

Senior Sergeant Kim Hill from the Toowoomba Highway Patrol is calling on motorists to be courteous and obey the road rules as the state records its worst road toll in 10 years.

Queensland has recorded its deadliest road toll in a decade, as motorists across the state fail to heed warnings from police.

On Sunday, Queensland recorded its 301st road fatality this year – surpassing the 2022 record of 296, and marking the deadlist year on the Sunshine State’s roads in 10 years.

Across the Darling Downs, there have been 34 road deaths this year, 18 recorded in Ipswich and 12 in the South West District.

And despite the messaging from police over the holiday period, some motorists have continued to ignore the warnings in the last week.

In the lead up to Christmas, police recorded one motorist driving 172km/h along the Cunningham Highway near Whetstone.

In Toowoomba City, a woman who crashed her car recorded a breath alcohol reading of 0.214, more than four times the legal limit.

And in Withcott, police captured a vehicle speeding 152km/h in a 60 speed zone, another doing 91km/h and third doing 86km/h. It’s believed the cars were racing each other.

Senior Sergeant Kim Hill from the Toowoomba Highway Patrol described the behavior of those motorists as “ridiculous”, and attributed the majority of incidents to excessive speeds.

She urged motorists over the holiday period to be “patient and respectful to other road users” and to obey road rules, and to take regular breaks.

“Fatigue is one of the hardest things for us to police … so stop and have a decent rest,” Sergeant Hill said.

Police and Emergency Services minister Dan Purdie said the unfortunate milestone was a stark reminder that police alone cannot reduce the state’s road toll.

“We all have to do our part to ensure safety on our roads,” the minister said.

“The sad reality is that most of these crashes involved at least one of the ‘Fatal Five’ behaviours – speeding, drink and drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt, driving while fatigued and driver distraction and inattention.”