Peter Roggenkamp makes a desperate plea for the community to lobby their MPs to do something about the horrific speed-related road toll.

Following what many describe as a typical Government "knee jerk" reaction after yet another tragic period on our roads, nine poor souls lots their lives last week, one a 17-year-old young man who lost control of his car and ran off the road only a kilometre from his home.

According to the investigating police officers, speed and/or alcohol were not contributing factors to this crash.

A decision has now been made to introduce more speed cameras and to modify red light cameras to detect speeding drivers as well.

Police Minister Judy Spence's comment was that "they will raise $77 million in revenue." Not a word about how many lives they will save. Why? Ever since speed cameras were introduced in the 1990s, heralded by the then Transport Minister's claim, "they will save more than 70 lives this year" the road toll, punctuated by a few dips, has steadily climbed to a 10-year high of 360 last year.

While speed control is necessary, it is very obvious that speed cameras have not played a significant, if any, role in reducing fatal crashes. One hundred and fifty four people left home this year, never to return, their flame of life suddenly extinguished following the horrific impact of a road crash.

Of the 154 deaths so far, 43 were aged between 16 and 25, the highest of any 10-year age group, 54 were single vehicle crashes, 18 "rollovers" and 36 "running off the road". There were 41 two and multi-vehicle crash deaths, 19 collisions and 22 head-on.

The major contributing factor of single vehicle and head-on crashes is driver error which comprises, particularly in young drivers, lack of experience and expertise, along with low levels of knowledge, foresight, judgment, hazard recognition, car control and emergency braking and crash avoidance skills, and particularly concentration.

Exceeding the speed limit is usually not even in the top 10 major contributing factors to road crashes. Driving "too fast for conditions", e.g. road, light, weather, vehicle, traffic and driver, is higher up the list of major contributing factors.

In this period there have been 31 motorcycle fatalities, 15 single and 16 collisions. In a swift reply to these statistics, three weeks ago the Government introduced a requirement for higher levels of knowledge and skills to obtain a motorcycle licence. Why not the same for motor vehicles?

I have been lobbying the Government for 25 years to have road safety and elementary driver training introduced into the school curriculum and as well, to raise the levels of knowledge and skill to obtain a driver's licence, only to be told that "I am trying to get people to do my courses" and "we have researched post-licence driver training and as a result have come up with the opinion that it causes some drivers to become "risk takers".

I have a copy of this report and this research was done in Europe and Canada some years ago. No such report has ever been conducted in Australia. After more than 25 years of defensive driver training, I find the opposite to be true.

Young newly licensed drivers who attend courses such as mine right throughout Queensland become more aware of the dangers, gain the knowledge and skills to drive safely, competently, and be equipped to handle the emergency situations that will almost certainly confront them. Very importantly the attitude and awareness changes for the better.

We all drive or have kids who will be driving motor vehicles. Stand up and make yourself heard. The life that is saved may be yours or that of your son or daughter.

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