The Honourable Neil Roberts
01/01/2011
2010 Queensland road toll lowest on record
The State Government and the Queensland Police Service today confirmed the 2010 road toll was 84 less than last year and the lowest since accurate records began nearly 60 years ago.
Police Minister Neil Roberts and Queensland Police Deputy Commissioner Ross Barnett said the result further strengthened the Government and Police Service's resolve to continue with road-safety initiatives which have demonstrated their worth in reducing the road toll.
Mr Roberts said while the reduction in the 2010 final road toll figure was pleasing, it was still a terrible tragedy that 247 people had lost their lives on Queensland roads this year.
"The road toll rate in 2010 was 5.47 fatalities per 100,000 people, which is 26.8% lower than the rate of 7.48 in the previous year," Mr Roberts said.
"This is the lowest road fatality rate recorded for a calendar year since accurate records began in 1952."
"However we have to remember that 247 people are unfortunately no longer with us as a result of road crashes, leaving behind mourning family and friends."
"As well as being the lowest rate on record, numerically the 2010 road toll is lower than the previous lowest toll of 251 in 1952.
"Successful initiatives in reducing the road toll include the deployment of fixed, mobile and covert speed cameras as part of our Anytime, Anywhere campaign and the recent extension of speed cameras into 40 and 50 km/h zones."
"I have no doubt these measures have contributed to this year's reduced toll. However, any death on our roads is a tragedy and our philosophy always is one death is one too many."
"I want to pay tribute to and thank the police, firefighters, paramedics and other emergency services personnel who worked hard in 2010 to help make our roads safer."
"Their efforts have played a huge part in lowering this year's road toll."
Deputy Commissioner Barnett said it was particularly concerning th at despite the ongoing efforts of the Queensland Police Service, speed and alcohol continued to be a significant contributing factor to road fatalities.
"It's obviously distressing that speed and alcohol continue to contribute to the Queensland road toll," Deputy Commissioner Barnett said.
"Preliminary advice is that in 2010, 56 deaths or 23% of the road toll was speed related and approximately 61 deaths, or 25% of the road toll to date was alcohol related. Those percentages are consistent with 2009, with speed and alcohol accounting for 23 and 31 percent of the 2009 road toll respectively."
"So while it's a great result that the road toll is way down, it's really unfortunate some people continue to risk the lives of themselves, their loved ones and other road users by taking unnecessary risks."
"In 2011, motorists can expect to see an ever increasing police presence on the road, including high visibility vehicles, random drug testing, random breath testing, speed cameras, covert camera, static and mobile speed detection and an increased presence from marked and unmarked vehicles will be monitoring our roads anytime, anywhere throughout the state."
"The Queensland Police Service cannot stop you making bad, dangerous decisions but we are determined to continue our no-tolerance enforcement of the road rules in 2011."
