Air rescue crews have come together to urge regional motorists to drive safely as part of Queensland Road Safety Week.
QGAir, part of the QPS’ Aviation Capability Group, provides aeromedical retrievals, search and rescue and law enforcement tasking.
QGAir pilot Darren O’Brien said they responded to 50 crashes since the start of the year.
“These crashes are often serious and occur in areas that aren’t easily accessible by road crews,” he said.
“If you crash in a regional part of Queensland, it will always take longer for emergency services to get to you.
“There are many hazards when driving on the regional road network that often don’t exist in urban areas.
“Our crews have seen too much trauma already this year from drivers speeding, not paying attention or driving to conditions.”
LifeFlight’s General Manager of Operations Brian Guthrie said motor vehicle incidents are one of the most common callouts for the RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter fleet.
“It’s incredibly concerning that over the past twelve months crashes have continued to be one of the most common mission types for the RACQ LifeFlight Rescue community choppers.
“Our message to all motorists is to drive like your life depends on it, because it does.
“Although we are ready to respond 24/7, 365 days a year, we would much rather see people driving safely and we hope to see a reduction in the amount of crashes we respond to.”
This Road Safety Week, Queenslanders are being challenged to practice safer driver behaviours.
Road safety starts with you.
