‘Did you know that’s a school zone?’: Tesla clocked at 92km/h outside high school
A Tesla has been clocked travelling at 92km/h – more than double the speed limit – in a school zone on the Gold Coast.
The Tesla Model Y was travelling on Anne Street, outside Keebra Park State High School in Southport, on February 19, when it sped past an unmarked police car about 8.30am.
Police pursued the driver, forcing him to pull over on the side of a residential street. Bodycam footage, released by police, shows there was a passenger in the front seat of the Tesla.
“Did you know that’s a school zone right there?” the officer asks the male driver.
“What if your son was running across the road and didn’t see someone driving at 90km/h?
“That’s why we have 40-kilometre zones, so we protect the children.”
The man was travelling with a passenger when he sped through the school zone. Credit: Queensland Police Service
The 38-year-old male driver from Pacific Pines was fined $1854 for exceeding the speed limit by more than 40km/h and received eight demerit points. His licence has been suspended for six months.
Thirty-seven lives have been lost on Queensland roads so far this year, compared to 40 at the same time last year.
Road policing Chief Superintendent Garrath Channells said “driving at these extreme speeds near children is inexcusable and will not be tolerated”.
“School zones exist for one crucial reason – to keep our children safe,” he said.
“Speeding reduces reaction time and makes it harder to stop quickly if a child crosses the road while entering or leaving school.”
Towards the end of 2024, Queensland police observed a growing trend in deaths involving vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and e-scooter and e-bike users.
Pedestrian deaths more than doubled, with eight lives lost during 2024, compared to three in 2023.
Another eight people on e-scooters and e-skateboards lost their lives on Queensland roads.
“We also saw an increase in deaths of motorcycle riders with 79 lives lost in 2024 compared to 77 ... in 2023,” Channells said.
He said police were using the data to help decide where to deploy officers this year.
“These tragic numbers are not just statistics, they represent fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, and friends whose lives have been cut short,” he said.