Police will be saturating Sunshine Coast roads and deploying to North Shore to strengthen road safety these Easter school holidays.
With an increase in people visiting or travelling through the Sunshine Coast, the Easter school holidays are one of our busiest times on our roads, and because of this, the number of crashes increase during this period.
59 lives have been lost on Queensland roads so far this year, with four of them on the Sunshine Coast.
Sunshine Coast Highway Patrol Officer in Charge Senior Sergeant Shane Panoho said police will be aiming to prevent this number from growing.
"Tactical plans are in place across the Sunshine Coast to prevent road trauma and strengthen road safety including roadside breath tests (RBT), roadside drug tests (RDT) and speed enforcement," Senior Sergeant Panoho said.
"Expect to see police anywhere, anytime these school holidays.
"Operation Sandstorm is ongoing and dedicated to establishing a significant and highly visible police presence on the beach at North Shore.
"Highway Patrol officers will deploy to North Shore, Teerwah and Rainbow Beach these holidays, alongside many campers, to remind drivers that road rules apply on the sand and focus on seatbelts, speeding, illegally modified and defective vehicles, and drink and drug driving.
"We know drugs can severely affect judgement, vision, coordination and reflexes; all those you don't want to lose while you are driving.
"Speeding and driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol are serious offences and are major causes of fatal and serious traffic crashes.
"Not wearing a seatbelt, and driving tired or distracted round out the Fatal Five - all of which are proven, yet avoidable, causes of serious and fatal traffic crashes.
"I urge you to think of the consequences of dangerous driving - you may lose your licence, you may be issued a hefty fine or charged and have to attend court, or you may lose your life or end someone else's.
"It's not worth it.
"Driving a vehicle is a serious responsibility and simple decisions you make behind the wheel can have life changing impacts.
"Please make sure you're making the right and safe choices for you, your family, community and all other road users."
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
