The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) and the Queensland Police Service marked Queensland Road Safety Week last week by renewing their commitment to road safety.
In a joint statement the Agencies said that in 2019 more than 93 lives were lost, and 1,264 people seriously injured in crashes involving drink or drug driving — “that’s more than 40 per cent of total lives lost on our roads”.
“The casualty crash risk doubles when driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) just in excess of 0.05 and the risk of involvement in a fatal crash increases even more sharply,” the Agencies said.
“Being under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs affects both physical and mental functioning. It impairs judgement, memory, coordination and reaction time, all extremely important factors when you are driving.”
The joint statement advised people to find a way of getting home safely if they planned to drink.
“Organise a lift, designate a driver, or catch a taxi, rideshare or public transport, or stay at a mate’s place,” it said.
“Remember, you can still be over the limit the next morning so avoid driving.”
The Agencies said the best plan was always to separate your drinking from your driving, and plan not to drink and drive.
