A Sunshine Coast lawyer has called for an investigation into the condition of the region’s roads after the release of figures that show the region has the most road fatalities in the state.
The North Coast region – including the Sunshine Coast, Moreton Bay and Wide Bay Burnett – has recorded the highest number of road fatalities in Queensland this year, prompting renewed calls for greater transparency around the true causes of serious crashes.
According to the latest data from the Department of Transport and Main Roads, 32 of Queensland’s 100 road deaths in 2025 have occurred in the North Coast region. This marks a 68 per cent increase on the same period last year and a 33 per cent rise on the region’s five-year average.
While police continue to focus on the Fatal Five – speeding, drink and drug driving, not wearing seatbelts, fatigue and distractions – Travis Schultz and Partners injury lawyer Greg Spinda said a piece of the puzzle was missing: the role of poor road conditions and infrastructure.
“Driver behaviour is important – but it’s not the full picture,” Mr Spinda said.
“Environmental factors and infrastructure play a significant and often overlooked role in vehicle accidents.
“We need to consider the extent to which poor road design and maintenance are contributing to serious crashes – and ensure this is reported alongside the already well-documented driver behaviour and characteristics.”
Mr Spinda said TSP regularly sees injury claims involving a combination of driver and road design or maintenance issues as relevant factors in car accidents.
This can involve inadequate signage, blind intersections, poor road design and poor road conditions – yet these factors are not recorded in TMR’s Road Crash Report.
“If we don’t track these conditions, we can’t fix them,” he said.
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“We’re calling on TMR to start acknowledging and reporting on the contribution of road infrastructure, because only then can local councils and state government act to ensure road safety and reduce this as a contributing risk.”
QPS Road Policing and Regional Support Command Acting Assistant Commissioner Shane Holmes said officers were deeply concerned that Queensland’s road toll had already passed 100 in 2025.
“Despite increasing patrols, operations and public awareness campaigns, we are still seeing far too many Queenslanders taking unnecessary risks on our roads,” he said.
“Some road users are displaying a complete disregard for their own safety and the safety of others.
“These 100 lives lost aren’t just statistics – this number represents real people: mothers, fathers, sons, daughters and friends whose lives have been cut short.
“Everyone deserves to feel safe on Queensland roads and everyone deserves to make it home safely.”
