New research points to dangerous behaviour as Queensland’s road toll climbs. The Australian Road Safety Foundation (ARSF) has launched its annual Fatality Free Friday initiative, with new data suggesting that a focus on individual behaviour can dramatically drive down road trauma.
The alarming research shows that more than half (56%) of Queensland drivers admit to breaking road laws, with two in five (40%) drivers committing an offence at least monthly 1 . The top three road laws broken by the State’s drivers included speeding (51%), driving fatigued (38%) and failing to observe a stop sign (30%).
The launch of Fatality Free Friday, Australia’s largest community-based road safety initiative, comes as the nation faces bleak road trauma statistics.
Last year, Queensland recorded 278 fatalities, with the nation’s total road toll being 1273. Across the nation, this figure was 7.9 per cent higher than the year before, and the third straight year that the road toll has increased. This worrying trend has continued into 2024, with the current road toll up another 7 per cent on last year (207 deaths at the end of February compared to 193 for the same period last year).
As of last month, Queensland is sitting at a staggering 22.2 per cent higher than this time last year.
However, in a positive sign of hope for curbing this upward trend in fatalities, the ARSF research indicated the power of heightened road safety awareness has on individual behaviour.
ARSF founder and chief executive officer Russell White said the research reiterated that a future free from road fatalities could only be achieved if people acknowledged their role within the bigger picture.
“At the end of the day, the fatal five – speeding, driving inhibited, driving fatigued, not wearing a seat belt and being distracted – are choices that an individual makes,”
FAST FACTS
Fatality Free Friday (May 31) is a national initiative that operates on the belief that if we can go one day without a death on the road, we can create a long-lasting culture that will drive us towards a fatality-free future, ultimately saving thousands of lives.
Road users looking to support a fatality-free big picture vision can share their personal commitment by visiting arsf.com.au or via ARSF’s Instagram (@ausroadsafety) and Facebook (@fatalityfreefriday).
