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Following three fatal crashes on Saturday, the number of people who have lost their lives on Queensland roads this year has hit 200.
Based on this year’s trend in road deaths, RACQ general manager of advocacy Josh Cooney predicted 2025 would be the deadliest year for Queensland roads in more than 15 years.
“Right now, one person dies on our roads almost every day, and speeding remains the leading factor in fatal crashes, contributing to an average of 79 deaths every year,” Cooney said.
The state’s road toll has hit 200, with the RACQ predicting an additional 100 people will die before the end of the year.
The grim milestone was reached as four lost their lives in crashes overnight, including a 27-year-old motorbike rider south of Brisbane.
Police said the rider, from Gold Coast hinterland township Wonglepong, had been travelling along Green Ridge Road in Jimboomba when the bike collided with a station wagon making a right turn.
“Initial investigations indicate the rider was overtaking a number of vehicles on the wrong side of the road,” a statement from Queensland Police read.
Further north, a 60-year-old man died near Bundaberg when his car rolled off the road while turning onto the Bruce Highway, and a 20-year-old and 50-year-old died when their vehicles collided north of Gympie.
Police said the 20-year-old Kilkivan man had been driving a stolen black MG sedan and “dangerously overtaking vehicles at speed” on Gympie-Curra Road in Chatsworth when his vehicle clipped another car.
The MG sedan then hit a third vehicle – a silver Holden sedan – which flipped both cars. The Holden sedan then caught fire, and the driver, a 50-year-old man local to the area, was killed.
Police have urged anyone with information, or footage related to the fatal crashes to come forward.
Cooney said road fatalities had been on a decreasing trend five years ago, but had spiked after COVID-19 restrictions eased.
Queensland Police recorded 302 deaths in 2024, and Cooney said the state was likely to exceed that number in 2025.
RACQ general manager of advocacy Josh Cooney said speeding was the single biggest cause of fatal traffic crashes in Queensland.Credit: RACQ
“We cannot accept the status quo while this road safety crisis worsens,” he said.
“Right now, one person dies on our roads almost every day, and speeding remains the leading factor in fatal crashes.”
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Cooney said young men, aged between 18 an 24, were the most likely to speed, and data motorists had self-reported to the RACQ indicated speeding was becoming more common.
Data from Transurban released last week revealed 20 per cent of motorists on the Logan and Gateway motorways were leaving gaps of less than one second while travelling at 90km/h or more during peak periods.
More than half of motorists left less than two seconds stopping distance between themselves and the vehicle in front, the data found.
On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of Queensland MPs launched the Parliamentary Friends of Road Safety group, co-chaired by MPs Jess Pugh and Russell Field – whose son and pregnant fiancée were killed when struck by a teenager in a stolen car.
The RACQ has called for reforms including more visible police monitoring roads, more point-to-point cameras, and tougher penalties for repeat offenders.
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