Christmas Road Safety Campaign launched– Crashes Kill Christmas

Premier Anna Bligh launched the Christmas Road safety campaign Crashes Kill Christmas at the Gladstone PCYC in Gladstone today.

The Premier is in Gladstone and Tannum Sands this weekend with her Ministers and the State’s senior public servants for the Bligh Government’s 12^th Community Cabinet.

Premier Bligh together with Police Minister Judy Spence and Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson urged all motorists to take care over the holiday period.

Ms Bligh warned those who were prepared to risk their lives, the lives of their passengers and other road users by breaking the law, that they would be caught.

“Christmas is a time of celebration, however, reckless and illegal driving behaviours can mean it becomes a time of tragedy,” said Ms Bligh.

“I appeal to all motorists: obey the road rules over the Christmas period. Don’t let Crashes Kill Christmas.

“The police will be out on the highways. They will be on suburban roads. They will be in marked and unmarked cars. If you do break the law you will be caught,” Ms Bligh said.

As part of the campaign – which runs from 10 December to 2 January – around 200 regional officers will be reassigned to participate in the coordinated traffic operation.

In addition approximately 80 police from Brisbane and Townsville will be redeployed to undertake road safety duties at known black spots.

“These police will provide an estimated 8,200 additional hours of on-roads traffic enforcement during the holiday period,” said the Premier.

To emphasise the tragic reality that Crashes Kill Christmas the launch featured a Christmas tree decorated with 44 white crosses – representing the lives lost on Queensland roads during the Christmas school holiday period last year.

Five large white crosses were also displayed. These represented the fatal five – drink driving, drug driving, fatigue, not wearing seatbelts and speeding.

In the past year in Central Region, which stretches from Gladstone to Mackay, 30 fatalities have been recorded. Of these 11 have involved alcohol as a contributing factor and 11 have involved speed. Tragically, there have been eight fatalities in Gladstone in 2008.

Over 300 people have died in road accidents state-wide this year.

Police Minister Judy Spence stressed the Bligh Government’s commitment to making Queensland’s roads even safer.

“We have already made considerable advances but tragically the road toll remains far too high. There is a limit to what Government can do. People need to take responsibility and follow the rules of the road,” Ms Spence said.

“The Bligh Government is committed to working alongside the Queensland Police Service to reduce the road toll by allocating an additional $15.6 million to extend the Road Safety Initiatives Package (RSIP) for the 2007/2008 financial year.

“The funding means an additional 600 officer hours per day of non-camera enforcement activity over peak holiday periods and support for the administration of the Traffic Camera Office and camera operations.

“Operational police numbers will also be increased with an extra 106 officers added over the next two years. These officers will be attached to the State Traffic Support Branch,” Ms Spence said.

Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson said, “Forty-four people were killed on Queensland’s roads over the last Queensland holiday period. To date, 303 people have lost their lives on Queensland’s roads in 2008 and we do not want to add to that over the Christmas period,”

Other initiatives implemented in the past twelve months include the introduction of Drug Testing Units, new fixed speed cameras and the launch of the new unmarked ‘Q’ cars.

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