With 100 lives already lost on Queensland roads this year, local emergency leaders are joining the urgent call for safer driving behaviour as part of a state-wide plea from the Queensland Police Service (QPS) and Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS).
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April marked the deadliest month so far in 2025, with 27 fatalities. QAS Metro North Assistant Commissioner Tony Armstrong said the loss of 100 lives is a sobering reminder that road safety is a shared responsibility.
“Every life lost on our roads is a tragedy, and it’s up to all of us to make the right decisions so we all get home safely,” Assistant Commissioner Armstrong said.
“Road fatalities not only impact you – but your loved ones, your community, and the emergency services who are dedicated to assist you.”
While Armstrong’s Metro North office covers a wide area including Kedron, the message hits particularly close to home for local paramedics and responders based at the recently expanded Kedron Emergency Services Complex, which plays a central role in responding to serious traffic incidents across Brisbane’s northside.
The upgrade to the complex, completed in late 2023, was aimed at improving emergency response capacity in a growing region—but as the fatal crash toll rises, even upgraded facilities are no substitute for prevention.
QPS Road Policing Acting Assistant Commissioner Shane Holmes said authorities are doing all they can—boosting patrols, using data to target high-risk areas, and launching public awareness campaigns—but cannot solve the problem alone.
“These 100 lives lost aren’t just statistics,” Holmes said. “They’re mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and friends—real people whose lives were cut short.”
Holmes added that enforcement alone won’t fix the issue, and stressed the need to address the “Fatal Five” road risks: speeding, drink and drug driving, not wearing seatbelts, driver fatigue and distraction.
The reminder comes at the close of National Road Safety Week (May 11–18), a time for communities to honour lives lost or changed forever by road trauma—and to commit to safer behaviours behind the wheel.
As Kedron locals commute daily along some of Brisbane’s busiest arterial roads, Armstrong and other emergency service leaders are urging drivers to slow down, stay alert, and think of the wider impact of their actions.
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“Simple decisions—like driving sober and putting your phone away—can save a life,” Armstrong said. “Maybe even your own.”
To learn more about the Fatal Five and how to stay safe, visit the QPS road safety page: police.qld.gov.au/initiatives/fatal-five-staying-safe-roads
Published 22-May-2025
