New Monaros

New Monaros the Latest Weapon in Road Safety

They are brightly coloured, hard to miss, and will be a new road safety enforcement initiative on Queensland highways.

Minister for Police and Corrective Services Judy Spence and Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson recently unveiled the fleet of new highway patrol cars which will serve as a constant reminder for motorists to slow down and drive carefully. The 10 red Holden Monaro CV8 sedans are highly visible and have reflective markings so that they can be easily seen at night.

Ms Spence said that after the success of two highway patrol cars trialled at Easter, the new sedans would be a big boost to the traffic enforcement role provided by the QPS. “Until people get the message, officers will continue to be a visible presence on our roads, catching those who break the law and put their lives and the lives of everyone on the road in danger.”

Ms Spence said research had proved that a visible police presence reduced the number of speeding motorists. The QPS trialled the high-visible cars over Easter, concentrating on dangerous, illegal and potentially life-threatening road behaviour such as drink driving and speeding.

During the four-and-a-half day trial, both vehicles travelled a total of 9,173km and were used to conduct more than 1,000 random breath tests. Public reaction to the new vehicles was very positive.

Two vehicles will be assigned to State Traffic Support Branch and one vehicle will be assigned to each region throughout the state.

Commissioner Atkinson said “These cars will provide both a highly visible police presence on major roads, and enable officers to enforce the road rules with a particular emphasis on unsafe driving,” he said. “The fleet is a significant investment, but it’s a very small price to pay if we can save lives.” Information provided courtesy of the Police Bulletin.