Community & Business
2 September, 2024
Look out for each other this Road Safety Week
“Queenslanders must work as one team to keep all road users safe” - It’s the clear message government and emergency services want all road users to always keep front of mind.
So far in 2024, there have been 20 deaths on Darling Downs roads, compared to 24 in the same period last year.
The Darling Downs has had the most road deaths of any police district in Queensland so far this year.
Toowoomba is LifeFlight’s busiest base, with motor vehicle accidents topping the list for the most missions in the past financial year.
At the Queensland Road Safety Week launch held at the LifeFlight Toowoomba Base, Toowoomba Regional Council was joined by representatives from the Queensland Police Service, the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service, the Queensland Ambulance Service, LifeFlight, the Department of Transport and Main Roads and community road safety education organisations.
Toowoomba Region Mayor Geoff McDonald said Council was determined to focus attention on residents’ individual responsibility to make a positive difference on the roads.
“We must all adopt the attitude that everyone plays a role to keep our roads safe,” Mayor McDonald said.
“Queensland Road Safety Week offers another forum for raising road safety awareness and pledging to work toward saving lives on our roads.
“This week’s campaign sharpens our focus on collective and individual responsibilities for all road users – including pedestrians, cyclists, public transport passengers, motorcyclists and motorists – so we’re very proud to be supporting this initiative with our partners.”
During Queensland Road Safety Week, RACQ has been highlighting the disproportionate rate at which men die on Queensland roads compared to women.
Over the past five years, 1,032 men have died on Queensland roads, more than triple the number of women.
Queensland Police have been highlighting the heightened risk that motorcyclists have of being seriously injured and killed.
Despite making up only five per cent of road users, motorcyclists are significantly over-represented in crash fatalities.
Approximately 27 per cent of all Queensland road fatalities this year have been motorcyclists or pillion passengers, with 51 riders lives lost.
Already there have been more than 1,100 recorded injury crashes involving motorcyclists across Queensland this year and this figure continues to climb.
Police urge the public to remember the Fatal Five behaviours which contribute to road trauma – speeding, drink and drug driving, distraction, fatigue and failure to wear a seatbelt.
