Qld: Qld shaken by horror Xmas road toll
BRISBANE, Dec 23 AAP - The Queensland government is considering stiffer penalties fortraffic violations following a horror start to the Christmas period on the state's roads.
Police are today expected to release the names of five people who died in a road accidentin north Queensland on Saturday.
Police blamed fatigue for the accident on the Bruce Highway south of Proserpine inwhich two vehicles collided head on.
With the state's holiday toll at seven, Premier Peter Beattie has appealed to motoriststo slow down and think while they are driving.
"I don't know if this is the worst start to Christmas but this would have to be oneof our comparative worst starts to the Christmas holiday period," Mr Beattie said yesterday.
Mr Beattie said Transport Minister Steve Bredhauer was looking at stiffer penaltieslike double demerit points during holiday periods, but any new scheme is not likely tobegin operation until Easter next year.
"The only way that you can stop people dying on the road is to get people to exerciseself discipline and to use their brains.
"You can have the worst draconian system in the world but if people are stupid theywill still kill one another."
"This is an horrific start to the holiday season and the only way we can stop it isto just get people to take it easy," Mr Beattie said.
An 18-year-old woman died in hospital after a head on smash between two cars in Dayboro,north of Brisbane, on Saturday, while the first death for the holiday season occurredon Friday when a 68-year-old man died after his vehicle veered off the Pacific Motorwaynear the Gold Coast, over an embankment and into a tree.
"This is just a shocker and the holiday period in essence hasn't started," Mr Beattie said.
AAP jfs/sek/sp/las
KEYWORD: TOLL QLD DAYLEAD
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