Four teens have been hospitalised after an early-morning rollover on a popular Sunshine Coast beach.
The serious accident has prompted police to issue a reminder to motorists visiting the area about the hazards of driving on sand.
Police and emergency services were called about 2.30am today to Teewah Beach, near the camping area at Double Island Point (camping zone 3), following the single-vehicle rollover.
The dual-cab utility was carrying seven males, aged 17 and 18 from Brisbane, when it rolled.
Two passengers were airlifted with serious head, chest and back injuries, and two others were transported to hospital with serious injuries. The three other occupants walked away with minor injuries.
The 17-year-old driver, from Bridgeman Downs in Brisbane, was issued with a notice to appear for alleged low-range drink-driving. Investigations by the Forensic Crash Unit are continuing.
Inspector Brad Inskip, from the Gympie Patrol Group, said motorists could expect to see police conducting enforcement operations throughout January.
“So far over the Christmas New Year holiday period, police from Gympie and the Sunshine Coast conducting traffic enforcement operations in the Noosa North Shore and surrounds have conducted more than 5500 random breath tests and 72 random drug tests,” he said.
“Five drink-drivers and one drug-driver were detected, 137 speeding tickets issued, along with 68 defective vehicle infringements and 54 people failing to wear seatbelts.
“Today’s crash is a reminder that driving on beaches can be hazardous, can be dangerous.
“The surfaces are different from what most of us are used to and drivers need to take extra care.
“We also remind motorists that the same road rules apply when driving on a beach or in national parks as they do when driving on any street in Queensland.”
Police are reminding motorists that vehicles driven off-road on beaches and parks must also be roadworthy.
“Vehicle standards are safety standards,” Inspector Inskip said.
“Defective or unroadworthy vehicles will be intercepted and drivers issued with infringement notices and we make no apology for that. Safety should be every motorist’s priority every time they get behind the wheel, regardless of their location.”
Inspector Inskip said the number of people flaunting the road rules was disappointing.
He highlighted the number of motorists detected speeding and those failing to wear seatbelts: two dangerous driving behaviours.
“You might be on holidays, you might be enjoying some of the best pristine ocean and parkland environments in the world, but you can still die in a road crash by making poor choices, not driving to the conditions, not appreciating the limitations of your driving skills or acknowledging that sand driving is not the same as highway driving,” he said.
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