Queensland’s Easter Road Toll falls

The long weekend has seen a reduction in the Queensland Easter road toll compared to last year as the majority of Queensland drivers have listened to road safety warnings.

The overall number of driving offences committed across the state has also declined over the long weekend to date compared to the same time last year.

Queensland Police Acting Superintendent Hanlon said the number of drivers caught drink driving had declined compared to the Easter holiday period last year however, some blood alcohol readings were alarming.

He said, "We had a person with a blood alcohol reading of 0.368 in the Whitsundays, now that is seven times the legal limit."

In another incident, a 24-year-old learner driver was charged after being caught with a blood alcohol reading more than four times the legal limit. The driver blew 0.205 after crashing into a pole in Port Douglas early Saturday morning.

The man was charged with drink driving, evading police, driving without due care and attention and driving unaccompanied on a learner's permit.

In total, more than 110 Queenslanders were caught drink driving on Saturday, bringing to 343 the long weekend DUI tally.

The recently announced covert speed cameras were deployed at Miriam Vale, Springwood, Bundaberg, Loganholme, Slacks Creek, Mudgeeraba, Helensvale and Southport, and caught 697 speeding drivers.

More than two and a half thousand drivers were caught breaking the speed limit laws by other mobile and fixed speed cameras.

The total number of driving offences, which include, drink driving, driving without a seatbelt, drug driving and speeding, across the state dropped from 3402 last year to 2697 this year.

Before the Easter long weekend began, Acting Superintendent Craig Hanlon asked Queensland drivers to heed police warnings.
He said, "We just want people to get to their destinations safely and return home safely during this holiday period."

Tragically, a 21-year-old man became the first casualty on Queensland roads over the weekend. The young man died on a dirt road near Rosewood, about 20 kilometres west of Ipswich, after the car he was driving was involved in a head-on collision with a four-wheel-drive early on Saturday evening.

Acting Inspector Craig Hanlon said, "Had that driver not been speeding he may be alive today," Luckily, the three occupants of the four-wheel-drive escaped injury.