With the September school holidays underway, the Queensland Police Service’s (QPS) Operation Xray Spring Break aims to target unsafe driving behaviours during one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
Running until October 10, the operation covers the school holidays and the first week of the new term, when traffic volumes are at their peak and the risk of crashes is significantly higher.
Motorists can expect to see police anywhere at any time, with high-visibility patrols and roadside enforcement focusing on the ‘Fatal Five’: speeding, drink and drug driving, failure to wear seatbelts, fatigue and distraction.
Motorists can also expect to see police patrolling Teewah Beach, Double Island Point and Rainbow Beach to set the tone for expected driving behaviours on the sand. Overt and covert operations will be used to detect and deter dangerous driving.
As of September 18, 218 people have lost their lives on Queensland roads.
“Road safety is everyone’s responsibility,” Chief Superintendent Mark Wheeler says. “Drivers need to plan their journeys, allow extra travel time, take breaks and be patient with the heavier traffic. We want motorists to remember that every decision on the road matters and every life lost is one too many.”
North Coast Region Assistant Commissioner Kevin Guteridge says police take a zero-tolerance approach to reckless behaviour on roads and beaches.
“Whether you’re driving on the bitumen, a dirt road or the sand, the same road rules apply,” he says.
September 29 will also mark National Police Remembrance Day, which honours the lives and service of fallen police officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice, including the recent tragic events in Porepunkah, Victoria.
A service will be held at Kawana Waters Surf Life Saving Club, Buddina, at 8.30am, with the community encouraged to attend or pay their respects.
