Queensland Police Service (QPS) has launched Operation Yankee Spring Break, urging motorists to take road safety seriously these school holidays as police continue enforcement across the state.
As families and travellers take to the roads to enjoy the warmer spring weather, police are anticipating increased traffic, heightening the risk of dangerous driving behaviours and serious traffic crashes.
Operation Yankee Spring Break will run from Saturday 19 September to Friday 9 October and will involve police from across the state, including the State Highway Patrol, local road policing units and general duty officers.
Officers will conduct high-visibility and covert patrols, maintaining a strong presence across the state through speed enforcement, roadside breath testing and targeted traffic operations.
Drivers are reminded that holidays are no excuse for dangerous driving, and they should factor in extra time for their journeys, plan for regular breaks and expect delays due to heavier traffic conditions.
Dangerous behaviours such as speeding, driving while fatigued and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs dramatically reduce a driver’s ability to identify and react to hazards, increasing the likelihood of severe crashes that can cause lifelong injury or, tragically, the loss of life.
219 lives have already been lost on Queensland roads this year, serving as a sobering reminder of the devastating consequences that can result from a single poor choice behind the wheel.
Motorists can expect police anywhere, anytime.
Operation Yankee Spring Break will build on the traffic enforcement efforts undertaken through Operation Interpose, during which police issued more than 125,900 traffic infringement notices between 25 April and 15 September.
Since Operation Interpose began, police have conducted more than 1.1 million roadside breath tests, and detected 7,475 alleged drink drivers.
A 39-year-old Upper Coomera man was charged with drink driving following a traffic crash in Mudgeeraba on Wednesday 16 September.
At approximately 7.35am, police attended Regency Place, where a vehicle had collided with two parked vehicles.
The driver and sole occupant of the vehicle underwent a roadside breath test which returned a positive result before being taken into custody.
A secondary analysis recorded a blood alcohol concentration of 0.300 per cent – more than six times the legal limit.
He is due to appear before Southport Magistrates Court on 13 October.
Assistant Commissioner Emergency Response Coordination Command Rhys Wildman said police were urging motorists to think carefully about the choices they make on the road these school holidays and the consequences those choices can have.
“School holidays are a time for making memories with family and friends, but they also bring increased traffic volumes and unfortunately, a greater risk of serious crashes on our roads,” Assistant Commissioner Wildman said.
“Through Operation Yankee Spring Break, police will maintain a highly visible presence across Queensland to deter dangerous driving behaviours and keep road users safe.
“However, we need Queenslanders to understand that enforcement alone cannot eliminate road trauma.
“Whether it’s speeding, driving while tired, or getting behind the wheel after drinking alcohol or taking drugs, one poor decision can have devastating consequences.
“Every driver has a choice, and every choice has a very real consequence.
“Whether you’re behind the wheel of a car, on a motorcycle or riding an e-mobility device, you have a responsibility to every other road user to make a choice which prioritises their safety and helps them make it home safely.
“We do not want to see families sitting in hospital emergency departments, police delivering devastating news to loved ones or communities grieving a preventable loss because someone choose to speed, drive impaired or get behind the wheel when fatigued.
“Safer roads don’t start with a police car.
“Safer roads start with you.
Queensland Police are urging all road users to make safe choices these school holidays by slowing down, driving to the conditions and taking responsibility for their own decisions behind the wheel.
The Queensland Police Service is committed to reducing the number of lives lost on our roads. However, enforcement alone cannot stop all dangerous driving behaviours.
Every choice you make behind the wheel, matters. Driving under the influence, speeding, driving distracted or while fatigued, or not wearing a seatbelt puts your life – and the lives of others – at serious risk. These dangerous behaviours will not be tolerated.
Queenslanders can expect police – anywhere, anytime.
Road safety starts with you.
