Consider yourself warned: if you’re heading ‘up the beach’ these summer holidays, hoon antics, poor driving behaviour and ‘Fatal Five’ infringements won’t be tolerated.
Sunshine Coast and Wide Bay district police will be out in force to save people from themselves.
Sunshine Coast Highway Patrol officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant Shane Panoho said Operation Sandstorm was an ongoing initiative to address errant driver behaviour.
The targeted beachside patrols of the popular tourist spots and increased enforcement activity began in July 2020, and has even used drones in an effort to prevent fatalities on the ‘sand highway’, as occurred on November 26.
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In that incident, five international tourists, all in their 20s, were travelling in a four-wheel-drive that flipped multiple times, killing the male driver. The four passengers – three men and one woman, who was thrown from the vehicle – were later transported to Sunshine Coast University Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Over summer 2023-24, QPS officers will be targeting the coastal areas of the Great Sandy National Park, which incorporates popular four-wheel-driving and camping areas in Cooloola Recreation Area (from Noosa Heads to Rainbow Beach), including Noosa North Shore, Teewah Beach, Freshwater and Double Island Point.
“The operation will have an intense focus across the holidays,” Sen Sgt Panoho said.
“Police are going to saturate the area and remind people that at any time, anywhere they can be intercepted.
“Police are undertaking high-visibility enforcement, reinforcing the Fatal Five (speeding, driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, not wearing a seatbelt, driving while fatigued and driving while distracted – including using mobile devices).”
Queensland’s road toll for 2022 was the highest in more than a decade, with 299 lives lost. As of mid-December, the 2023 state road toll stood at 270, including 18 people who lost their lives in the Sunshine Coast Police District. A total of 863 injury crashes have been recorded in our district to date this year.
Speeding was the major concern – not only in beach driving but right across Queensland.
“I can say quite easily that speed has been a contributing factor in the majority of those crashes,” Sen Sgt Panoho said.
Failing to wear seatbelts was another frequent offence on the sand highway.
“For whatever reason, people seem to think that when they go to the beach, they don’t need to wear their seatbelts. Unfortunately, that is not the case,” Sen Sgt Panoho said.
“All road rules still apply. There are washouts, there are divots, there are undulating surfaces right along that beach, and it changes daily.
“You need to be restrained and ensure your load is properly restrained.
“All people in the vehicle need to be restrained. We’ve intercepted people standing up through sunroofs.”
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Drinking or drug taking also were a lethal mix in combination with driving.
“Quite often, we have seen vehicle rollovers up there where people have made the mistake of consuming alcohol and/or illicit drugs and then choosing to drive and partaking in poor driving by committing hoon offences,” Sen Sgt Panoho said.
“People should realise that if they are apprehended for committing a hooning offence, not only are they liable for a vehicle forfeiture but also the cost of having the vehicle removed from the beach, which can be thousands of dollars and a court appearance to follow.
“Whilst that may seem harsh, I’m sure families will appreciate the fact of actions being taken to educate the drivers, as opposed to having to organise a funeral.”
Sen Sgt Panoho said police encouraged all beach motorists to drive appropriately and to the conditions, to plan their drive around the tides, and to only drive vehicles suitable for the environment.
All beach speed limits are signposted in the dunes (to prevent washing away) on the left-hand side of the beach when northbound.
The Department of Environment and Science website states that speed limits in Cooloola are generally:
- 80km/h maximum speed on the eastern beaches, unless otherwise signposted;
- 50km/h speed limit on all beaches adjacent to camping and day-use areas;
- 20km/h recommended on all other inland roads, unless otherwise signposted; and
- 10-20km/h maximum in camping areas.
But Sen Sgt Panoho said the 50km/h adjacent to the camp zones was likely to change soon.
“That will be hopefully dropped to 40km/h in the new year to make it consistent along the whole length of the beach and, again, as a result of the poor driving behaviours we’re observing,” he said.
“We are looking at modifying what we can with the infrastructure to make it as safe as possible for everyone.
“Whilst the speed zones are posted with set speeds, it’s not a target. You don’t have to drive to that speed or the maximum speed permitted.
“Drive to what is appropriate and that includes the beach, the weather, the environment but also the number of people and vulnerable road users who are on that beach.
“It is one of most beautiful environments – not only in the state but in the world. Go and enjoy it, respect it and part of that respect means driving appropriately to ensure everyone’s safety.”
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