Police Intensify School Holiday Patrols

As Brisbane’s school holidays draw to a close, the Queensland Police Service (QPS) has heightened its road safety efforts to ensure safe travel for all road users. Throughout the holiday period, large-scale enforcement activities were conducted, aiming to reduce road crashes and fatalities by targeting the “fatal five” driving behaviors: fatigue, speeding, driving under the influence, distraction, and seatbelt neglect.

Over 200 officers were deployed across Brisbane for one of the largest simultaneous traffic enforcement operations in recent years. These operations included marked and unmarked police vehicles setting up random breath test (RBT) and random drug test (RDT) sites in numerous suburbs such as Murarrie, Coopers Plains, and South Brisbane, among others. A total of 6,731 RBTs and 454 RDTs were conducted, resulting in 18 arrests for driving under the influence of alcohol and 21 for drug-related offenses.

Highlighted incidents during the period included cases of high blood alcohol content, with one 23-year-old Wynnum man recording a 0.152% reading. He was subsequently fined $1,000 and had his license suspended for six months. A 79-year-old woman from Corinda will appear in court after a crash in Mount Ommaney, with her blood alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit.

Acting Inspector Stephen Gough of the South Brisbane District emphasized the ongoing commitment to road safety, urging drivers to consider the severe consequences of impaired driving. North Brisbane’s Acting Inspector Stuart Kerr echoed this sentiment, highlighting the significant impact of every life lost on the community and first responders.

QPS data reveals a positive trend in reducing road fatalities, with Brisbane recording 21 deaths compared to 29 the previous year. These efforts underscore the critical importance of community cooperation in maintaining road safety.