Medevacs due to car accidents rise in Australia
RACQ CQ Rescue has recorded a 36-per-cent increase in patients airlifted as a result of serious motor vehicle crashes
RACQ CQ Rescue has recorded a 36-per-cent increase in patients airlifted as a result of serious motor vehicle crashes
So far this year, the number of missions where patients were transported by the Mackay rescue helicopter because of injuries suffered as a result of crashes has topped 30, eight higher than for the same period last year. In light of the deaths of four people on the Bruce Highway in Central Queensland in a 24-hour period, RACQ CQ Rescue has called on motorists to take urgent action to end the rising death and injury toll.
RACQ CQ Rescue base manager and pilot Owen Maitland said the number of crashes they attended and airlifted patients from had increased significantly this year, with many patients sustaining serious injuries including fractures, lacerations and even spinal and internal injuries.
“Statistics show that about 90 per cent of crashes are due to a driver error such as being distracted, fatigued or even going a little over the speed limit,” Mr Maitland said.
In the first four months of the year, RACQ CQ Rescue airlifted 15 patients injured in crashes, some of which occurred due to momentary lapses in judgement or attention.
In the last few months, the Mackay-based rescue helicopter had attended incidents where drivers had slammed vehicles into trees and down embankments on both public roads and private property, treated patients who had been pinned underneath farming machinery and recreational vehicles and also airlifted a truck driver who had been trapped in his overturned rig on the Bruce Highway for about two hours after a crash.
Maitland said the reality is traffic is getting heavier, travel times are longer and people are growing more short-tempered and impatient behind the wheel. “Frazzled drivers, more vehicles and less time to make the trip to and from places equals more crashes, more injuries and, unfortunately, more deaths,” he said. At speed and on highways, death as a result of a crash was not uncommon, Maitland said. “Something as simple as not leaving the recommended safe following distance could change your life, or that of another person's, completely,” he said. “Slowing down not only helps prevent crashes, it also minimises the risk of serious injury or death if you do happen to be involved in a crash. Fatigue is another avoidable factor when it comes to crashes. It sounds simple, and that's because it is never safe to drive tired or under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”
The State’s peak motoring body joined CQ Rescue in urging drivers to take an honest assessment of their driving ability. RACQ spokesperson Clare Hunter said it was important all drivers regularly re-viewed their skills and brushed up on the road rules. “Drivers who speed or don’t wear seatbelts, drive distracted or under the influence, or are behind the wheel when while tired are not only risking their own lives but the lives of others,” Ms Hunter said. “It’s up to each and every driver to ensure they’re up to the task before turning the ignition. We already have more than 166 families grieving loved ones due to road crashes in Queensland this year, but it’s not too late to turn that tragic road toll around,” she said.