Once again Road Safety Awareness Month is upon us and it causes me to reflect on the state of road safety in North Queensland. This year, we’ve seen a horrifying 57% increase in road fatalities compared to the same period last year. According to the latest data from the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR), out of Queensland’s 205 road crash victims, 65 were from Far North, Central, and Northern regions, including Cairns, Townsville, and Mackay.
The TMR’s Queensland Road Crash Weekly Report highlights issues like speeding, drunk driving, and distracted driving. However, it often overlooks a critical factor: road conditions. As a partner at Travis Schultz & Partners (TSP), I see firsthand the devastating impact of environmental factors on road safety. It’s time for more visible and transparent reporting of road deaths and hospitalisations linked to road conditions.
We know that two-thirds of road deaths occur in regional and remote areas, despite only one-third of Australians living there. This indicates a significantly higher risk of driving on regional roads, which are often loose, unsealed, and potholed, with inadequate lighting and fewer safety barriers. As a personal injury law firm in North Queensland, TSP handles numerous cases of road injuries and deaths resulting from poor road conditions. Yet, these factors are rarely reported in TMR’s Road Crash Report.
One such heartbreaking case is that of our clients, 18-year-old Indy-Lee Collins and her brother Mitchell Collins from the Atherton Tablelands. Their mother, Jaimielee Paterson, tragically lost her life this year in a multi-vehicle collision at a hazardous intersection in Malanda.
I have personally visited the site and it is not surprising that such a tragedy occurred at this intersection. The road was narrow and undulating, the speed limit is 100 kilometre per hour zone, there were no warning signs about entering traffic and the verges were overgrown with grass impacting on visibility. This was a recipe for the tragedy that unfolded. The police report and investigation into Jaimielee Paterson’s case are ongoing.
Rural roads are a hidden danger, and there’s an urgent need to understand how poor road conditions are linked to the rising road death toll. We are calling on the Department of Transport and Main Roads to acknowledge and improve our local road conditions. Doing so will enhance safety and prevent further tragedies.
As we move past the halfway point of the year, the road toll in North Queensland matches that of 2022, which was the highest in five years. These latest statistics are a tragic reminder to focus on safety during the Australian Road Safety Foundation’s road safety month this September.
There is an obligation on all of us to commit to driving safely and advocating for better road conditions to protect our communities.
Stay safe.
As published in Cairns Post and Seven News Cairns (Watch here).
Partner & Cairns Leader
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