The new data, from the Motor Accident Insurance Commission (MAIC), also showed more than one quarter of payments made under the State’s Compulsory Third Party (CTP) insurance scheme were related to this type of crash.

RACQ’s Kirsty Clinton said many of these injuries and subsequent insurance claims could have been avoided if drivers left a safe, two second following distance.

“While often these nose-to-tail type crashes only result in minor damage to vehicles, they can cause injuries with long-lasting impacts like whiplash,” Ms Clinton said.

“People need to make sure they’re always travelling at a safe distance behind the vehicle in front – a minimum of two seconds. This will ensure they have enough time and space to avoid a crash if the vehicle in front is forced to suddenly stop.”

Research by the Centre for Accident Research and Road Safety Queensland (CARRS-Q) found while most people believed they travelled at a safe distance, two thirds actually did not.

Queensland Police called on motorists to ‘be a mate’.

“Rear-end crashes are costly, and unfortunately common,” QPS reported.

“We’ve teamed up with [MAIC] to call on Queensland drivers to ‘Be a Mate’ out on the road and help make it safer for everyone.”