As some schools begin their end of year holidays police will saturate roads across the Darling Downs District as part of Operation Whiskey Nitrox, which will begin tomorrow, November 30.
During the seven-day targeted traffic operation, local police will partner with the Road Policing Task Force, partner agencies to work towards ultimately reducing the number of lives lost, or injured, on Queensland roads.
From November 30 to December 6, Operation Whiskey Nitrox will see high visibility policing across various parts of the Darling Downs District including Toowoomba, Warwick, Stanthorpe, Goondiwindi, Lockyer Valley and Kingaroy.
The operation will focus on life endangering offences like speed, impaired driving, fatigue, mobile phone use, not wearing seatbelts, vehicle compliance and roadworthiness, and heavy vehicle offences.
As part of the road safety blitz, police and our partner agencies, will be on our roads, stopping vehicles, talking with drivers and taking action, when needed, to strengthen the safety of road users.
Inspector Brett Everest said with higher volumes of traffic expected on our roads these operations are critical to keep all road users safe.
"The Darling Downs District sadly has had the most number of people who have died on our roads than any other police district in the state with 28 people killed on our roads so far this year.
"Each life lost is one too many. We do not want to see families continue to go through the pain of losing a loved one so I plead with all road users to be aware of the risks and how to reduce them.
"In a bid to address our concerns, initiatives like Operation Whiskey Nitrox are so important and provide such value to our work in strengthening road safety in our community.
""The community can expect to see both covert and overt traffic enforcement across static sites and mobile patrols.
"It is up to every driver to ensure that they drive responsibly and with care and consideration for themselves, their passengers and all other road users.
"Generally, the people in our car are people we love and care about the most. That is why we implore drivers to join with us and make road safety a priority.
"This is not a one-off operation, but the latest in an ongoing road safety strategy, aimed at saving lives on our roads in Queensland," said Inpector Brett Everest.
So far this year the current state road toll is 276 lives lost this year compared with 250 for the same time frame last year.
The Queensland Police Service is committed to reducing the number of lives lost on our roads.
Data shows that serious crashes can be significantly reduced when drivers recognise and avoid the 'Fatal Five' behaviours: speeding, drink and drug driving, not wearing seatbelts, fatigue and distraction.
Road safety is everyone's responsibility. Learn more about staying safe on Queensland roads: https://www.police.qld.gov.au/initiatives/fatal-five-staying-safe-roads
