RACQ welcomes road safety roundtable
After a year riddled with tragedy on Queensland roads, RACQ has firmly supported the State Government’s decision to hold a road safety roundtable.
The Club’s Head of Public Policy Dr Michael Kane said poor driver behaviour continues to be the leading cause of death on our roads and we must act fast to change it.
“We have a road safety culture problem in Queensland. It’s shocking that we, as a state, have allowed the road toll to reach highs that we haven’t seen in 13 years,” Dr Kane said.
“299 people lost their lives on Queensland roads last year and the overwhelming majority of those deaths can be attributed to the Fatal 5 - that’s speeding, driving fatigued, drink and drug driving, distracted driving and not wearing a seatbelt.”
Dr Kane said education and targeted enforcement must be prioritised to reduce deaths as quickly as possible. While longer term research is always welcome, we also need short term, immediate actions to bring the road toll down quickly.
“We have to go on what we already know, and the numbers clearly tell us that we need to change the mindset of drivers,” Dr Kane said.
“Nobody who is of legal driving age can say they didn’t know that speeding or drinking and driving is illegal. We need drivers to get back to basics and follow traffic laws.
“The approach must target, for example, the significant increases in road deaths across regional areas and a spike in motorcycle rider fatalities.
“Engineering safer roads is a longer-term solution and we’ve reached a limit with what fines can achieve after recent penalty increases.”
Dr Kane said the road safety roundtable needs to be holistic and informed by experts.
“This needs a whole of community approach, so we want to see a broad range of stakeholders there, not just those who work in the transport space,” Dr Kane said.
“RACQ looks forward to being involved in the roundtable and providing our expertise as the State’s peak motoring body. After such a devastating year, it’s so important that we all come together to discuss, design and implement solutions that will actually save lives on Queensland roads.”
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