Instead, Queensland Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey and Attorney-General Yvette

D'Ath have proposed increasing the maximum penalties on the existing two charges; careless driving (driving without due care and attention) and the more serious charge, dangerous driving.

The government insists by adding a degree of "aggravation" to the careless driving charge, it is effectively creating the third mid-range charge without complicating the law.

However, Queensland Central Coroner David O'Connell has several times investigated road accidents where a person has been killed or seriously injured on roads and recommended a new "reckless driving" charge to Queensland law.

In 2015, he investigated the 2013 death of 81-year-old "model citizen" Audrey Anne Dow, who had no driving infringements in her 61 years of driving.

Ms Dow was killed at a Mackay intersection when her car was struck by a car driven by 28-year-old Aaron Kite, who was driving while disqualified.

Mr Kite had 11 driving infringements and had been disqualified from driving four times.

Mr O'Connell recommended Queensland introduce a new charge "in between" the careless driving and dangerous driving charges.

"A lady lost her life to a man who should never have then been driving, and this driver simply ignores court orders as he drove again just four weeks after being disqualified by the court," he said in 2015.

"Accordingly the recommendation I make is the issue of a new mid-range driving offence be referred to the Attorney-General to consider changing the law to introduce a new mid-range driving offence between the existing Dangerous Driving offence, and the Driving without Due Care and Attention offence."

Two years later, on October 25, Mr O'Connell made the same recommendation, well aware the Queensland government was reforming its driving laws.

This year, he investigated the March 2016 death of Jo-Anne Peter Fuller in a road accident.

The car she was driving was struck head-on in Hervey Bay when a car driven by a "tired" driver, whose licence had also been disqualified, crossed the centre line of a main road.

Mr O'Connell's investigation found the other driver had been out to nightclubs the night before, had his last alcoholic drink at 2am, went to bed about 4am and got up at 10am to drive.

The driver told police at the scene he was feeling "dozy", "tired" and "hazy".

"No doubt many consider that a person who drives whilst their licence is suspended warrants a higher penalty than a person who holds a valid driver's licence at the time that an incident such as this one occurs," Mr O'Connell said.

For the second time in two years, Mr O'Connell recommended the Queensland government introduce a third charge - reckless driving.

"Whilst it is pleasing to see that the government has announced an increase in certain penalties, it remains that that is only part of the whole issue," he said.

"In view of all the circumstances of the matter - particularly the admissions of the driver made at an interview of being tired before the crash occurred and only getting to bed at 4am, a more serious charge of reckless driving - if that new offence was available - would certainly have been a viable option, and may very well have been proven.

"The [Queensland Police Service] felt that their prosecutorial options were limited due to the absence of a mid-range offence such as ???reckless driving'."

The Queensland government instead proposes an extra category of the lesser charge of careless driving with a degree of aggravation, where the maximum fine is $20,184.

A person convicted could face two years' jail and losing their licence for at "at least six months".

In 1997, 13-year-old Lisa Jensen walked out onto a zebra crossing while on family school holidays at Golden Beach, Caloundra, where she was struck by a car. She and her brother were off to get fish and chips.

"The initial impact killed me, my heart stopped," Ms Jensen said.

"The doctors told my parents if I survived, I would not be able to talk."

The driver received a suspended jail sentence and lost his licence for 18 months.

Ms Jensen was in a coma for 22 days in the Royal Brisbane Hospital, recovered from serious brain injuries, before learning to speak again, completing two degrees to become a science teacher.

Now 33, she lives in Carina and works as an after-hours teacher in Brisbane, after receiving a compensation payment.

Ms Jensen urged people to debate the reform of the law and not simply accept what they were given.

"Whatever the new legislation ends up being, it needs to be a very, very strong deterrent and cannot be something that people are unaware of," she said.

"Because as victims, we have to live with the consequences our entire life."