Worrying figures have revealed just how many people have flouted drink- and drug-driving laws at a popular holiday destination.
Eighty-three charges were laid for related offences between Noosa Spit and Double Island Point from 2020 to 2022, according to the Queensland Police Service.
The region has become a holiday hotspot for drivers and campers in recent years, due to its accessibility, 50km stretch of sand and picturesque camping areas.
But police and park rangers have had to increase their presence in the Great Sandy National Park, due to several disturbing incidents, including driving offences and unruly behaviour from campers.
Figures released to Sunshine Coast News showed scores of drivers had been caught under the influence.
Forty of the 83 drink- and drug-driving charges were for “driving over the general alcohol limit but not over the middle alcohol limit” while 16 of them were for “driving over the middle alcohol limit but not over the high alcohol limit”.
Ten people were charged for driving under the influence of drugs.
A Sunshine Coast News reader sent this scary footage of drivers on Teewah Beach back in November.
Sunshine Coast District Superintendent Craig Hawkins warned motorists to be vigilant behind the wheel, particularly because of the tricky terrain.
“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,” he said.
“(That includes) 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.
“The surfaces are different from what most of us are used to and drivers need to take extra care,” he said.
“Motorists are reminded the same road rules apply when driving on a beach, or in national parks, as they do when driving on any street in Queensland.
“Safety should be every motorist’s priority every time they get behind the wheel, regardless of their location.”
He also said police would not hesitate to issue fines for unsafe vehicles.
“Defective or unroadworthy vehicles will be intercepted and drivers issued with infringement notices and we make no apology for that,” he said.
Defective vehicles, speeding, careless and reckless driving, unruly behaviour and littering have been major problems in the area in recent years.
Sunshine Coast News reported in January that more than 2000 fines were issued there in 12 months when police enacted Operation Sandstrike and the ongoing Operation Sandstorm, which targets hooning.
Police moved 80 campers on in October and went viral after swooping on young drivers in November. Four teens were then hospitalised after a rollover in January.
Authorities then ramped up enforcement during the recent Easter holidays, when University of the Sunshine Coast researchers also examined the experiences of beach drivers there.
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