Speeding, driving without a seatbelt, driving drunk, driving on drugs, driving while fatigued and driving distracted are behind countless road fatalities in Queensland. 

Sergeant Shaune English said that speed and fatigue could be a deadly cocktail for parents heading off to the coast for the school holidays.

“Driver fatigue is a big one here, people travel long distances to get to places,” he said.

“On school holidays, people try to take advantage of their time so they travel further for a longer amount of time, through a combination of speed and fatigue.

“They think: ‘We have to get over there so we can spend two weeks on holiday.’

“I would much rather see people get there safely and have 1 weeks of holidays.”

Drink and drug-affected drivers will also be closely watched following large events in the North West like the Birdsville Races.

Sergeant  English also said a large proportion of drivers in Mount Isa risked their lives by not wearing seatbelts.

He said a number of Mount Isa’s road fatalities involved victims who were thrown from their vehicle in a crash.

Meanwhile, Queensland Police have recently enlisted the help of 13 high-tech German speed cameras capable of measuring exact speeds of cars travelling across six lanes. 

Acting assistant commissioner Mike Keating said the devices were part of Queensland’s Speed Management Strategy which aims to make Queensland roads safer through improved compliance to posted speed limits.

“We know by reducing vehicle speeds, the frequency and severity of crashes also reduces,” he said.

“With speeding a contributing factor to around 20 per cent of fatal traffic crashes in Queensland, officers will continue to actively target speeding drivers to reduce trauma on our roads.”