August 17, 2021
Local MP Deb Frecklington says RACQ statistics that show the Nanango electorate is the second highest for road fatalities are “heartbreaking”.
The figures, released by the motoring organisation to coincide with Road Safety Week, show 10 people lost their lives on local roads between January and July this year.
Only the adjacent Callide electorate was worse, with 11 deaths, while nine people died on Burnett electorate roads and eight on Gympie electorate roads.
The figures prompted Brisbane’s Courier-Mail newspaper to dub the four areas the “Bermuda Triangle” of road deaths.
Mrs Frecklington said the tragedy that was unfolding on local roads was tearing families part.
“It seems like each time you see the news, there has been another fatality, or serious accident in our region,” Mrs Frecklington said.
“And we have to remember that these statistics only count the people who have lost their lives. There are many more who are injured and incapacitated in these accidents and who will endure a lifetime of suffering.
“Sadly however, I don’t think anyone from my Electorate would be surprised by these figures.
“We have known for a long time that many of our State-controlled roads are unsafe and that there has been a chronic neglect of regional road upgrades and maintenance under Labor.
“I have been continually asking for road funding for our key regional roads, but the response is always the same from Labor – our regional roads are not a priority and there is no funding.
“Unfortunately, that statistics don’t lie and the RACQ breakdown highlights that State-controlled roads in regions like Nanango, Callide and Burnett are being overlooked for funding. This is having terrible consequences for too many people who are losing their lives on our local roads.
“Statewide we know the backlog on State-controlled roads has blown out from $4 billion to $6 billion.
“The Auditor-General also forecast that our maintenance backlog would grow to $9 billion this decade, but at the current rate, it will be well over $10 billion.
“I implore the Labor Government to look at these statistics and what is blatantly obvious – our regional roads need urgent funding to make them safe.”
* * *
RACQ spokesperson Lauren Ritchie said the unnecessary loss of life on Queensland roads needed to stop.
“These horrific statistics reinforce the sobering fact Queenslanders are being killed at an alarmingly high rate,” Ms Ritchie said.
“Eighteen of the 20 electorates with the highest number of road fatalities are in regional areas.
“Regional roads are often over-represented in fatalities, with crashes more likely to happen at higher speeds.
“We’re pleading with drivers to not get complacent and to take road safety into their own hands, as we know quieter regional roads can be deadly.
“Disobeying simple road rules like speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, being distracted or drink or drug driving dramatically increases your risk of a crash.
“We also need our leaders to focus investment on regional road funding. The major roads in these regions are high speed, have single lanes in each direction, are undivided and typically have narrow shoulders with hazardous roadsides, making them more unforgiving in the event of a crash.”
* * *
Highest rates of road fatalities by State Electorate:
| State Electorate | Deaths: Jan-July 2021 |
| Callide | 11 |
| Nanango | 10 |
| Burnett | 9 |
| Gympie | 8 |
| Traeger | 8 |
| Burdekin | 8 |
| Glass House | 8 |
| Hill | 6 |
| Southern Downs | 5 |
| Warrego | 5 |
| Condamine | 5 |
* Some deaths are unable to be allocated to an electorate due to insufficient data
* * *
Editor’s note: southburnett.com.au collates local road crash reports under the hashtag #accident although, of course, crashes are rarely an “accident”. A quick look at our hashtag list makes sobering reading: Accidents
