Pandemic did not drive down deaths on QLD roads as state notches grim record

Suellen Hinde - Queensland Editor |

Fatal crashes involving large B-Double trucks on open roads and grey nomads getting on motorcycles are among the reasons Queensland scored the unenviable position of having the highest road toll in Australia last year.

Despite COVID-19 lockdowns and the interruptions to the economy, the road toll did not fall significantly, with 275 people killed on Queensland roads in 2021 – just three fewer fatalities than the previous 12 months.

By comparison, NSW recorded 270 road deaths last year – its lowest in nearly a century. Queensland’s population is 5.2 million compared to 8.2 million in NSW.

Experts told The Queenslander a combination of heavy vehicle and motorcycle crashes added to the road toll last year.

There were 40 fatal crashes involving heavy vehicles and 66 deaths involving motorcycle crashes, according to the Australian Road Research Board (ARRB).

“In Queensland there was a spike in motorcycle crashes at 20 per cent of fatals – a higher percentage than other states,” ARRB Safe Mobility Outcomes Portfolio Lead Tia Gaffney told The Queenslander.

Ms Gaffney said there was clear evidence that during the pandemic there were a lot more people using motorcycles in a gig economy for food delivery.

“And during lockdowns there were a lot more people riding recreationally,” she said.

“It’s a combination of the grey nomad on motorcycles and the food economy.

“But most glaring is the heavy freight or articulated vehicle crashes in 2021 – they are overrepresented compared to other states with four times as many fatal crashes than Victoria.”

Source: Queensland Police

Ms Gaffney said the pandemic increased heavy transport on roads with increases in online shopping and moving goods by trucks on roads.

“These crashes are very damaging, with trucks often catching fire and destroying the road and serious flow-on effects. Some of these crashes involved two or three big trucks colliding into each other which is complete mayhem,” she said.

“Queensland is a large state and there is a lot more area to cover and it also needs a lot more infrastructure to solve these problems.”

Queensland is not on track to meet its government target of halving the road toll by the end of the decade with the 2020 road toll also high with 278 fatalities.

RACQ Manager Road Safety and Technical Joel Tucker said the peak road body would welcome further research into “why our road toll has been so high over the past two years and the key factors that had an impact on the number of lives lost on Queensland roads”.

“Though there were restrictions throughout the year, Queensland didn’t experience the same extensive lockdowns that Victoria and New South Wales did, keeping people at home,” he said.

“But we do know that the Fatal Five – speeding, drink driving, fatigue, distraction, and failure to wear a seatbelt are still major contributing factors to fatal crashes.

“Every time drivers get behind the wheel, or people start their walk or ride, they need to bring their best road user behaviour.  Sticking to the road rules and avoiding the Fatal Five on every trip will help everyone get home safely.”