Key focus area—Road safety initiatives

While road trauma costs the Queensland community billions of dollars in medical bills, lost productivity, repairs and insurance each year, the social, emotional and physical cost to victims and their loved ones is incalculable. The QPS is committed to reducing road trauma and increasing safety for all road users and is working with other government agencies and road safety professionals to achieve this goal.

This year, over 400 000 hours were devoted to traffic policing. An ambitious road toll target has been set that aims to achieve a 40% reduction by 2010. This equates to 5.6 deaths per 100 000 people.

The Government announced in November 2008 that 106 traffic police officer positions would be delivered over two years. Half of these were allocated in 2008-09, and the remaining 53 will be allocated in 2009-10.

Other elements of the Government's road safety package included:

• 30 additional hand held laser speed detection devices
• 16 mobile radar speed detection devices and 12 micro-digicam speed detectors that allow police to intercept vehicles further down a road from where the micro-digicam is positioned
• eight additional Q-Cars to add an additional Q-Car to every police region, doubling the number of Q-Cars patrolling Queensland roads
• 12 additional police motorcycles for traffic enforcement and to assist with Operation Freeflow on roads such as the Gateway Motorway
• six new fixed speed camera sites to be operational from July 2009
• a trial of three unmarked speed camera vans for 12 months in North Coast, Southern and South Eastern Regions.

The graph below shows the rate of Queensland road deaths per 100 000 population from 1998-99 to 2008-09. Sadly, we lost 351 people on our roads in 2008-09, which equated to 8.21 fatalities per 100 000

The challenge of increased road use

It is generally recognised that factors such as strong economic activity and population growth have an influence on road trauma trends. Over the last five years, Queensland has experienced the highest rate of population growth in the country.

One factor that is affecting efforts to reduce road trauma is the increasing number of vehicles on our roads.

The graph below compares the total number of road deaths in Queensland with the number of registered vehicles between 2003 and 2008. Not only are there more vehicles on Queensland roads than ever before, but the Australian Bureau of Statistics Survey of Motor Vehicle Usage shows that Queensland vehicles drive further than in any other state in Australia, with an average of 15 200km each year.

Vehicles registered in Queensland and fatalities on Queensland roads, 2003-2008

Road safety initiatives target high-risk behaviours

Driver behaviours such as excessive speed or driving while affected by drugs or alcohol are a significant contributing factor to the road toll. During 2007-08, the Service introduced a number of new initiatives to detect and deter these behaviours. The initiatives have been expanded this year, with good results.

Vehicle impoundment

Queensland vehicle impoundment legislation applies to ‘hoon’ offences such as burn outs, street races, speed trials and high-end speeding (>40km over the speed limit), as well as to repeat traffic offences in any one of the following categories:

• driving a vehicle that is unregistered and uninsured
• driving while unlicensed or disqualified
• drink driving over the high alcohol limit (0.15%)
• failing to provide a specimen of breath or blood or driving while under a 24 hour licence suspension
• driving an illegally modified vehicle.

On 1 July 2008, vehicle impoundment legislation was implemented statewide. It had previously been piloted in the North Coast, Southern, and South Eastern Police Regions. Under the new laws, drivers who continue to offend can have the vehicle they are driving impounded for 48 hours and a court may impose a further impoundment of up to three months or a permanent forfeiture of the vehicle. The legislation works on the principle that if the vehicle is removed from the offending driver for a period, they will be unable to use it to commit further offences during that time.

From 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009, over 6 500 vehicles were impounded under these laws. More than 1 000 of these vehicles were also eligible for application to a court for a further sanction of either a three month impoundment or forfeiture.

Over 90% of repeat offenders under these laws are unlicensed or disqualified drivers—one of the categories that is over-represented in traffic crashes.

Intelligent Traffic Analysis System

This year the Service began rolling out a new system to help police target their operations to locations where they are most needed. The new Intelligent Traffic Analysis System (I-TAS) combines information from a number of QPS and Department of Transport and Main Roads databases. Police can access maps of traffic hotspots, along with details of policing activities and arrests, primary crash factors, speed profiles and traffic volumes.

I-TAS will be fully implemented by March 2010.

The capacity to plan, resource and deploy targeted special traffic operations will be greatly enhanced. It will allow police to maximise the efficient use of their resources and ultimately reduce road trauma in Queensland.

Roadside drug testing

Drugs, just like alcohol, can significantly affect motorists’ skills and reaction times, reducing their ability to drive safely. Drivers who test positive have their licenses suspended for 24 hours to allow their bodies to flush out the drugs and their effects and face similar penalties in court to drink drivers. This is another important step toward lowering the Queensland road toll and preventing injury caused by road crashes.

A specialised Roadside Drug Testing Unit was established in December 2007. Officers from this unit travel throughout the State testing drivers for the presence of THC (the active ingredient in cannabis/marijuana), MDMA (the active ingredient in ecstasy), and methylamphetamine (also known as speed or ice). In 2008-09, officers conducted 8 736 saliva tests. On average, 1 in 39 drivers tested positive for one of these drugs.

The unit participated in 104 operations across the State, thus ensuring that random saliva testing is conducted anywhere, anytime. Locations were as diverse as the Ballera Oil Fields, Cunnamulla, Charleville and St George in the south west, Mount Isa in the north west and most major centres on the east coast from Cairns to Coolangatta.

Seven repeat offenders have been detected, three of whom were heavy vehicle drivers.

This year the unit was expanded and is now staffed by sixteen full time police officers. It is expected that over the next year, the unit will expand to 24 field officers.

Motorcycle fatalities

The graph above shows an alarming trend in motorcycle fatalities. Although the overall road toll fell by 14% between 1998 and 2008, the number of motorcycle-related fatalities rose by 34% over the same period. More people are riding motorcycles than ever before, but people riding motorcycles are also disproportionately likely to be killed on our roads.

In 2008, there were 72 motorcyclist fatalities, compared to 73 in 2007 and 58 in 2006. As at midnight on 30 June 2009 there were 41 motorcycle rider and pillion fatalities, compared to 34 for the same period in 2008.

The Queensland Police Service is maintaining high levels of traffic enforcement on known contributing factors such as speed, alcohol and drugs, and riding motorcycles in poor mechanical condition. In addition, the Service continued to engage with motorbike rider groups and associations through programs like Rider Survivor to further promote motorbike safety.

Motorcycle fatalities in South Eastern Region

As part of a collaborative strategic approach to dealing with a high number of motorcycle fatalities, the Gold Coast and Logan Traffic Branches and the New South Wales Police Highway Patrol conducted Operations Ride Right, Wintersun and Highside. In the mornings, these operations targeted hinterland roads and in the afternoons, the M1 was targeted as motorcycle enthusiasts returned home. These locations enabled police to overview compliance with road rules and safe driving practices among motorcycle enthusiasts.

Operation Earlybird on the Pacific and Logan Motorways targeted excessive speeds and irresponsible driving in the early hours of the morning prior to peak hour.

Analysis of QPRIME data on fatal motorcycle traffic crashes in the Gold Coast District has shown a decrease of 54% from 2007-08 to 2008-09.

‘Below 299 in 2009’ campaign

The ‘Below 299 in 2009’ campaign is a joint initiative between the QPS, Queensland Government and the Courier Mail, to try to reduce the road toll by keeping it below 299 in 2009.

The aim of this campaign is to increase awareness of the common causes of road crashes, promote safe driving behaviours and attitudes and, ultimately, result in a reduction in road trauma on Queensland roads.

As at midnight on 30 June 2009, there had been 181 road crash fatalities, compared to 158 for the same period in 2008.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)

A trial of ANPR technology has commenced. In line with the recommendations of the Select Committee on Travelsafe’s Report No.51: Report on the Inquiry into Automatic Number Plate Recognition Technology, the primary focus of the trial will be to gather and analyse data, identify operational issues and further test the technology’s accuracy and effectiveness with a view to evaluating the road safety impacts and operational effectiveness of the technology.

Urban congestion

At the election this year, as part of the ‘Urban Congestion Initiatives’ commitment, the State Government pledged $1.2 million for 24-7 police officer coordination in the Metropolitan Traffic Management Centre and throughout the traffic incident response system. This initiative will improve communication between the Brisbane Metropolitan Transport Management Centre, first response officers and Police Communications Centre and facilitate quick clearance strategies that reduce congestion at traffic incidents.

Will U B Next? (road safety initiative in Far Northern Region)

The ‘Will U B Next’ media campaign raised awareness under the ‘Below 299 in 2009’ campaign to reduce the State’s road toll. Banner advertisements were placed in local print media either on their own or in conjunction with traffic awareness articles and interviews. The campaign aims to enhance personal responsibility for driver behaviour and attitudes.

The Gold Coast Motorcycle Safety Working Group issued this hard hitting advertising campaign aimed at Gold Coast District motorcycle riders.