Road safety message highlighted
ONE OF the Darling Downs’ top cops has urged motorists to think about their driving and save their lives.
Darling Downs District Inspector Stephen Angus spoke at Fatality Free Friday yesterday, along with representatives from Toowoomba Regional Council and the Queensland Fire and Emergency Services.
“Our aim is very simple and that is to achieve nationally not a single road death in Australia for one day,” Insp Angus said.
“We say that drivers are asked to actively concentrate and think more about road safety on a particular day, Fatality Free Friday.
“But there is no reason why they cannot attribute these behaviours on any other day to eliminate and reduce road trauma including fatal crash and injury road crashes.”
Insp Angus said one of the most tragic tasks that police officers performed was informing a person their loved one would never be coming home again.
“It is known that 50 per cent of all fatal crashes in Queensland and nationally can be attributed to five fatal mistakes that we make daily,” he said.
“The sad reality is that these five fatal errors that we make don’t change from one year to the next. They keep recurring over and over.”
Those mistakes are the Fatal Five; speeding, drink and drug driving, failing to wear a seatbelt, driving while fatigued and distraction and inattention which includes mobile phone usage.
“Stay off the phone. Is it worth your life?” he said.
Toowoomba Region Mayor Paul Antonio said the council was developing a new Regional Road Safety Strategy to continue the previous five year strategy to reduce the average number of fatal crashes.
Cr Antonio said since 2011 that average had reduced from 3.18 fatal crashes per 100,000 population to currently 2.2 fatal accidents per 100,000 population, one less life lost. DRIVE SAFE: Darling Downs District Inspector Stephen Angus signs up for a Fatality Free Friday.