It might seem a bit rich coming from a man that makes his living by driving fast, but Craig Lowndes is urging Queensland drivers to acknowledge the mounting road toll and slow down.
According to Queensland Government statistics, 98 people have died on Queensland roads so far this year - an increase of more than 12% for the same period last year and equal to one person every 33 hours.
The V8 Supercar champ and Suncorp Insurance Safer Roads Ambassador said that to save lives, Queenslanders needed to “ease off the accelerator”.
“It’s been a deadly year so far on Queensland roads and we know that speeding is a major cause of fatal crashes. It’s time to slow down.
“This week is Fatality Free Friday, which aims for no road deaths in Australia for just one day. If there was ever a time to commit to driving within the speed limit and to the road conditions, this is it,” said Craig.
“It might sound like a strange message coming from me, but when I’m driving on public streets I’m thinking about the safety of my passengers – usually my kids – and the people around me. It’s totally different to a race, where everything is specifically designed to go fast and stringent safety requirements and high-tech equipment minimise the risk of harm.”
Given the number of deaths on our roads, it’s surprising that so many Queenslanders admit to speeding on a regular basis. Recent research commissioned by Suncorp Insurance * shows that:
• One in three Queenslander drivers (33%) admit to speeding to get to or from work sooner • One in four (28%) think that exceeding the speed limit by less than 10km an hour “isn’t really speeding” • 8% admit to speeding by more than 10km an hour “most of the time” or “half of the time” – this figure is 13% in Brisbane, compared to 5% for the rest of the state.
Suncorp Insurance is a proud sponsor of Fatality Free Friday. Queenslanders can make their pledge to drive safely at the Fatality Free Friday website. For more tips on staying safe on the road, visit www.facebook.com/MustHaveSaferQldRoads.
For further details or to arrange an interview please contact Megan Tudehope on (07) 3135 2425 or 0467 799 149.
* Newspoll Market & Social Research conducted an independent internet survey of 3,706 Australian drivers, 18 years of age and older, across a full national sample in 2012. Data was collected in line with ISO 20252 – Market, Social and Opinion Research and has been weighted with current ABS population demographics to ensure any extrapolation of results is representative of age, gender and area.
Suncorp Metway Insurance Limited ABN 83 075 695 966.
