General News
25 November, 2024
Darling Downs roads most dangerous
The Darling Downs has the unenviable position as the region with the most road deaths in Queensland in 2024 so far.
In the Darling Downs Police District, 27 lives have been lost this year.
This is more than areas with much larger populations such as North Brisbane and South Brisbane which have had 20 deaths each and the Gold Coast which has had 16.
Last Friday, ahead of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, which was held on Sunday, police filled Brisbane’s
King George Square with
259 life-sized cut-outs of adults and children, each representing a life lost on Queensland roads in 2024.
Just last weekend alone there were three lives lost in car crashes, one at the Gold Coast, one in the Ipswich area and one north of Bundaberg.
In the Darling Downs district, last week a 17-year-old died after crashing the Ford Falcon he was driving into a tree at Leslie Dam near Warwick.
The week before that, two people died in a two-truck collision at Cunningham’s Gap and at Brooklands, near Nanango, two people died when their vehicle struck a tree.
The Commissioner of Police, Steve Gollschewski APM, said the silhouettes illustrate the painful reality of the 259 individuals who lost their lives on Queensland roads.
“These 259 figures represent the lives lost on our roads this year – each a person with loved ones left behind,” Commissioner Gollschewski said.
“Road deaths remind us that driving involves constant choices; to stay attentive, drive safely, and avoid risky behaviours like speeding, phone use or impaired driving.”
QPS Road Policing and Regional Support Command Acting Assistant Commissioner, Janelle Andrews, said the QPS is taking action to reduce the number of fatalities and injuries on Queensland roads.
“Our research indicates this year’s national and state lives lost figure could be the most devastating on record,” Acting Assistant Commissioner Andrews said.
“The QPS is taking a tactical and targeted approach, with increased high-visibility police patrols across the state.
“We’ll be out there monitoring for the fatal five: speeding, impairment, distraction, failing to wear a seatbelt, and fatigue.”
In addition to the lives lost on Queensland roads, more than 6,000 people have been seriously injured this year or are facing long-term trauma and hardship.
