‘Alarming’ rate of speeding, drunk drivers over Easter

FOUR people have died on Queensland roads during the Easter long weekend, as police wrap-up a five-day safety campaign.

The first death was on Thursday at South Toowoomba and two more at Bulimba and Tugun on Friday while a man died in hospital after being struck by a car Bundaberg on Saturday.

The Easter deaths take the state’s road toll to 60, 15 fewer deaths than the same time last year.

The Queensland Police Service launched a five-day Easter Road Safety operation on Thursday to reduce road toll around the state which killed four people in 2018. near

Road Policing Command Superintendent David Johnson said the campaign revealed “alarming” results and urged motorists to drive safely as they return from holidays and go back to school.

“Sixty innocent lives have been lost on our roads until today, there are 60 loved ones who are not spending the rest of their Easter or further Easters with their families,” he said.

He said it was “alarming” that 16,300 had been caught speeding and that one blood alcohol reading was returned at 0.307, five times over the legal limit.

Police conducted 43,264 random breath tests with 263 people caught for drinkdriving.

Of the 1349 roadside drug driving tests were positive.

Speed cameras around the state detected 14,045 motorists speeding, with another 2299 incidents recorded by police.

There were 152 people caught not wearing speed belts and 88 for mobile phone offences.

The highest speed recorded was 170km/h in a 100 zone on performed, 225 Good Friday on the Centenary Motorway at Ellen Grove.

On Saturday, the highest speed exceeding the limit was recorded at 140km/h in a 70 zone on the Commissioners Flat Rd, near Peachester.

After the highest reading of 0.307 per cent at Bellbird Park on Thursday, a driver at the Glass House Mountains on Friday blew by 0.270 per cent.