‘Lifelong, traumatic events’: Why all drivers are being urged to stay alert this school holiday
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The school holidays are here, and for many Australians, that means hitting the road to visit loved ones or explore the country.
But as travel ramps up, so too does a renewed push from authorities to address a growing problem with serious—and sometimes fatal—consequences.
A new statewide operation in Queensland is putting drivers on notice.
As school holidays rolled in across Queensland, police kicked off a major campaign aimed at keeping families safe on the roads—and the stakes couldn’t have been higher.
Dubbed X-Ray Cold Snap, the two-week blitz targeted fatigued and dangerous driving across the state’s vast and often unpredictable road network.
Authorities confirmed they would maintain a ‘highly visible and proactive’ presence until 13 July, coinciding with one of the busiest times for holiday traffic in Queensland.
Acting Chief Superintendent Garrath Channells warned motorists not to underestimate the risks of long-distance travel, especially when navigating unfamiliar routes.
‘Fatigue is a really considerable factor across holiday periods, usually where families travel long distances across unusual roadways and destinations,’ he said.
‘The state of Queensland is obviously quite large, and you can travel for extended periods of time. I would just ask anyone that is traveling long distance, particularly on unusual roadways, to drive to the conditions always and take time to stop and rest if you're exceeding two hours of driving, so that you're managing fatigue, and if possible, swap drivers and share the load.’
The urgency of the message was underscored by the grim road toll figures. As of mid-2025, 136 people had died on Queensland’s roads—a 7.8 per cent increase on the five-year average for the same period.
But it wasn’t just fatalities sparking concern.
‘And we’ve had thousands of serious injuries that could be lifelong, traumatic events like a spinal cord injury that that person then has to live with for the rest of their lives, and the family have to provide support for the rest of that time,’ Superintendent Channells said.
‘Poor decision making in a split second can have tragic and traumatic outcomes.’
Queensland police focused their efforts not just on highways, but also in regional towns and busy tourist spots—key areas where incidents often spike during holidays.
Adding more pressure to drivers, a spike in fines came into effect from 1 July. Those caught using their phones behind the wheel or failing to wear a seatbelt now faced a $1,250 penalty, while speeding by more than 30km/h would also result in a similar hit to the wallet.
The steep increases followed a scheduled rise in the value of penalty units. While Queensland remained the most financially punishing state for traffic offences, similar annual increases were also enforced around the country.
The Queensland campaign mirrored a larger, troubling trend sweeping the nation.
Australia recorded 1,300 road deaths in the previous year—its worst total since 2012. The final three months of 2024 alone saw 359 fatalities, marking the deadliest quarter in over a decade.
The ongoing rise in fatalities had not been seen since the period before seatbelts were mandatory.
Road safety advocate Peter Frazer OAM, whose daughter was killed by a distracted driver, said road trauma had become a national crisis.
‘The very first thing that we need to do is to flip everything on its head and start dealing with the reality of risk on our roads,’ he said.
‘We've got to have our governments start doing much more active enforcement, both police enforcement and also automated enforcement, which we can do immediately.’
As police amped up enforcement and penalties soared, the message was clear: this school holiday period, staying safe behind the wheel wasn’t just common sense—it was crucial.
With decades of driving experience under your belt, do you think today’s road rules and penalties are making our roads safer—or just hitting drivers in the hip pocket? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
In a previous story, we looked into how the rise in kangaroo collisions is making country roads even more unpredictable—something many senior drivers have likely encountered firsthand.
For those hitting the highway this school holiday period, especially in rural areas, it's another reason to stay alert and cautious.
If you’re planning a road trip or simply heading out of town, this one’s well worth a read.
Read more: Country roads aren’t what they were—and it’s the roos causing it
But as travel ramps up, so too does a renewed push from authorities to address a growing problem with serious—and sometimes fatal—consequences.
A new statewide operation in Queensland is putting drivers on notice.
As school holidays rolled in across Queensland, police kicked off a major campaign aimed at keeping families safe on the roads—and the stakes couldn’t have been higher.
Dubbed X-Ray Cold Snap, the two-week blitz targeted fatigued and dangerous driving across the state’s vast and often unpredictable road network.
Authorities confirmed they would maintain a ‘highly visible and proactive’ presence until 13 July, coinciding with one of the busiest times for holiday traffic in Queensland.
Queensland ramps up patrols for school break. Image source: Pexels/Mykhailo Volkov
Acting Chief Superintendent Garrath Channells warned motorists not to underestimate the risks of long-distance travel, especially when navigating unfamiliar routes.
‘Fatigue is a really considerable factor across holiday periods, usually where families travel long distances across unusual roadways and destinations,’ he said.
‘The state of Queensland is obviously quite large, and you can travel for extended periods of time. I would just ask anyone that is traveling long distance, particularly on unusual roadways, to drive to the conditions always and take time to stop and rest if you're exceeding two hours of driving, so that you're managing fatigue, and if possible, swap drivers and share the load.’
The urgency of the message was underscored by the grim road toll figures. As of mid-2025, 136 people had died on Queensland’s roads—a 7.8 per cent increase on the five-year average for the same period.
But it wasn’t just fatalities sparking concern.
‘And we’ve had thousands of serious injuries that could be lifelong, traumatic events like a spinal cord injury that that person then has to live with for the rest of their lives, and the family have to provide support for the rest of that time,’ Superintendent Channells said.
‘Poor decision making in a split second can have tragic and traumatic outcomes.’
Queensland police focused their efforts not just on highways, but also in regional towns and busy tourist spots—key areas where incidents often spike during holidays.
Adding more pressure to drivers, a spike in fines came into effect from 1 July. Those caught using their phones behind the wheel or failing to wear a seatbelt now faced a $1,250 penalty, while speeding by more than 30km/h would also result in a similar hit to the wallet.
The steep increases followed a scheduled rise in the value of penalty units. While Queensland remained the most financially punishing state for traffic offences, similar annual increases were also enforced around the country.
The Queensland campaign mirrored a larger, troubling trend sweeping the nation.
Australia recorded 1,300 road deaths in the previous year—its worst total since 2012. The final three months of 2024 alone saw 359 fatalities, marking the deadliest quarter in over a decade.
The ongoing rise in fatalities had not been seen since the period before seatbelts were mandatory.
Road safety advocate Peter Frazer OAM, whose daughter was killed by a distracted driver, said road trauma had become a national crisis.
‘The very first thing that we need to do is to flip everything on its head and start dealing with the reality of risk on our roads,’ he said.
‘We've got to have our governments start doing much more active enforcement, both police enforcement and also automated enforcement, which we can do immediately.’
As police amped up enforcement and penalties soared, the message was clear: this school holiday period, staying safe behind the wheel wasn’t just common sense—it was crucial.
With decades of driving experience under your belt, do you think today’s road rules and penalties are making our roads safer—or just hitting drivers in the hip pocket? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
In a previous story, we looked into how the rise in kangaroo collisions is making country roads even more unpredictable—something many senior drivers have likely encountered firsthand.
For those hitting the highway this school holiday period, especially in rural areas, it's another reason to stay alert and cautious.
If you’re planning a road trip or simply heading out of town, this one’s well worth a read.
Read more: Country roads aren’t what they were—and it’s the roos causing it
