$35B in trauma costs: It’s time to get serious on road safety
Campaign Page & Interactive Map
The Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS), Safer Australian Roads and Highways (SARAH Group) and Queensland Trucking Association (QTA) have partnered with RACQ on the campaign, which centres around a powerful new resource that lays bare the tragic state of Queensland roads.
The RACQ developed Fatal and Serious Crash Dashboard functions as an interactive map that breaks down crash data by electorate from 2019 to 2023, estimating the social cost of road trauma in Queensland over that time to be more than $35 billion.
RACQ Managing Director and Group CEO David Carter said the new data exposed the scale of the crisis, calling on both decision-makers and drivers to get serious on the issue.
“Over the five years, there were 31,742 crashes where people were killed or seriously injured on Queensland roads. That represents an estimated social cost of $35.7 billion,” Mr Carter said.
“On average 79 people die each year in crashes involving a speeding driver, while 57 fatal crashes involved a drink driver and 59 a drug driver.
“RACQ analysis also revealed that the 4,000 drivers charged with dangerous driving over the past four years had already racked up more than 95,000 traffic offences - that’s an average of 23 offences each.
“It’s clear we have a cultural crisis on our roads; it’s time to get serious on road safety and crack down on dangerous drivers to save lives.”
RACQ is standing with its members to call for a series of key reforms to curb Queensland’s devastating road toll, which is tracking to exceed 300 again this year.
‘We must see a significant boost in roadside drug and alcohol testing, supported by investment in rehabilitation to curb this alarming culture,” Mr Carter said.
“Expanded vehicle impoundment powers to remove extreme offenders from their vehicles are also needed to deal with those who repeatedly and recklessly put lives at risk.”
RACQ is urging the urgent rollout of more point-to-point speed cameras on high-risk roads and a greater on-road police presence to stop reckless driving and restore respect for road rules.
The Club and its partners also want a trusted vehicle security rating system introduced as part of broader efforts to tackle vehicle crime and stop stolen cars becoming deadly weapons.
Fellow of RACS Dr David Lockwood echoed RACQ’s calls.
“Queensland emergency departments see the aftermath of speeding and reckless driving every day – shattered lives, broken families, and life-changing consequences, such as ongoing pain, mental health struggles and even problems with usual activities,” Dr Lockwood said.
“These victims aren’t in and out of hospital in a day; half of them undergo surgeries and endure months of complicated recovery, placing huge pressure on our healthcare system.
“We can’t keep turning a blind eye. It is clear the current strategies are not working to curb the cultural crisis on Queensland’s roads. It’s time for both drivers and government to step up. This isn’t just about enforcement - it’s about saving lives.”
For Peter Frazer OAM, road trauma is deeply personal. He lost his daughter in a crash that should never have happened – a tragedy that drove him to found the SARAH Group and Australia’s National Road Safety Week.
“As everyone has a right to get home safe, any life lost is one too many. While all Australian governments have committed to halving the road toll by 2030, the number of lives lost continues in the wrong direction. Tragically here in Queensland, it continues to rise,” Mr Frazer said.
“Enough is enough. It’s time to implement stronger enforcement and consequences to stop this unnecessary and tragic loss of life.”
The worst-affected areas highlighted in RACQ’s crash dashboard are in regional Queensland – a trend that comes as no surprise to QTA CEO Gary Mahon, who has long pushed for road safety reform.
“What our members see on Queensland roads every day is confronting. For every serious or fatal crash, there are countless near misses - any one of them could be the next tragedy,” Mr Mahon said.
“There’s a serious problem with dangerous driver behaviour on our roads. It’s time for the penalties to match the severity of the behaviour. Too many people still think speeding has no consequences – but our members can tell you, from being out there every day, there are.”
It’s time for tougher action - not band-aid solutions - because every Queenslander deserves to feel safe on our roads.
For more information, statistics and to access RACQ’s Fatal and Serious Crash Dashboard visit http://racq.com/getseriousonroadsafety
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