It’s a heartbreaking fact for the families of the 297 lives lost on Queensland roads last year. Not to mention the thousands of people who are now learning to live with permanent injuries caused by a crash.

In 2022, we recorded more deaths here than the far more populous states of New South Wales or Victoria. In fact the NSW road toll has fallen by 18% since its peak in 2019. Over the same time Queensland’s increased by 36%.

It’s the biggest road toll we’ve seen in our State since 2009 and it must be a blunt wake up call for all of us.

Despite our cars getting safer and record spending on road infrastructure, disappointingly, drivers continue to make reckless decisions behind the wheel.

In 2022, around 170,000 people were caught using a mobile phone or not wearing a seatbelt, after months of very public warnings and a hefty investment in advertising by the government.

No driver can honestly say they didn’t know it was illegal or dangerous to drink drive, or not wear a seatbelt or use a mobile phone behind the wheel.

But substantial fine increases aren’t the immediate deterrent authorities had hoped they’d be.

Regional roads have seen a surge in fatal crashes over the past year, particularly in Central Queensland and Far North Queensland.

We’ve also seen a spike in motorcyclist deaths.

So what’s changed? Three years after COVID-19, why are people taking more risks on the road? Do we have a road safety culture problem in Queensland? These are the questions we must seek answers to.

We need clear roadmaps. One-year, five-year and ten-year plans that outline the short-, medium- and long-term strategies to bring this shocking road toll down, and keep it down. Permanently.

Immediately we need more police on the roads, particularly in crash hotspots, because we know a visible police presence has a significant impact on driver behaviour.

Drivers must get back to basics, obey traffic laws and take road safety seriously. If it’s not for themselves, for their loved ones and other road users.

In the medium term we need to draw on our experts and data to guide our decisions. While all levels of government will need to commit to long-term, continued investment in our road infrastructure.

These are just some examples of where our focus must lie.

Together, we should be targeting zero fatalities because, essentially, almost all road deaths and injuries are preventable.