Queensland’s road toll has been estimated to carry a social cost of more than $35 billion in the past five years, according to new figures released during Road Safety Week.
A coalition including the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS), the Safer Australian Roads and Highways (SARAH) Group, and the Queensland Trucking Association (QTA) has joined RACQ in promoting a campaign that urges stronger responses to risky driving.
The initiative is underpinned by an online dashboard that tracks serious and fatal crashes by electorate from 2019 to 2023. The data pointed to 31,742 incidents involving death or serious injury over the period.
Each year, speeding accounted for an average of 79 fatalities, while alcohol was linked to 57 deaths and drugs to 59.
“RACQ analysis also revealed that the 4,000 drivers charged with dangerous driving over the past four years had already racked up more than 95,000 traffic offences – that’s an average of 23 offences each,” said RACQ managing director and group CEO David Carter. “It’s clear we have a cultural crisis on our roads; it’s time to get serious on road safety and crack down on dangerous drivers to save lives.”
The campaign’s backers are seeking an expansion of roadside alcohol and drug testing, broader use of point-to-point speed cameras, and increased police visibility.
They also want authorities to strengthen vehicle impoundment powers so that repeat offenders can be removed from the road more quickly.
RACS noted that many patients require extensive surgery and months of rehabilitation, which adds to both social and economic costs.
“Queensland emergency departments see the aftermath of speeding and reckless driving every day – shattered lives, broken families, and life-changing consequences, such as ongoing pain, mental health struggles, and even problems with usual activities,” said Dr David Lockwood, fellow of RACS.
SARAH Group founder Peter Frazer, who established the organisation after losing his daughter in a crash, said national road safety targets are not being met.
“As everyone has a right to get home safe, any life lost is one too many. While all Australian governments have committed to halving the road toll by 2030, the number of lives lost continues in the wrong direction. Tragically, here in Queensland, it continues to rise,” he said.
For insurers, the figures underline the ongoing impact of road trauma on claims costs.
Higher rates of fatal and serious injuries drive up liability and personal injury claims, while also influencing pricing across motor, health, and income protection lines.
The QTA has raised particular concerns for the freight industry, pointing to the risks its members face daily.
“What our members see on Queensland roads every day is confronting. For every serious or fatal crash, there are countless near misses – any one of them could be the next tragedy,” said QTA CEO Gary Mahon. “There’s a serious problem with dangerous driver behaviour on our roads. It’s time for the penalties to match the severity of the behaviour. Too many people still think speeding has no consequences – but our members can tell you, from being out there every day, there are.”
