‘Fatal five’ are preventable

LOCAL motorists are being urged to avoid the ‘fatal five’ this festive season after RACQ CareFlight Rescue airlifted four patients from serious car crashes in the past fortnight alone.
RACQ CareFlight Rescue Aircrewman, Luke Pagano, said the service sadly saw an increase in road crashes in the lead-up to Christmas.
“The main causes of road crashes are drink or drug driving, speed, fatigue, driving distracted or failing to wear a seatbelt,” Mr Pagano said.
“The saddest part is that all crashes involving any of the ‘fatal five’ are completely preventable.
“We urge all motorists to take extra care on the roads. We love meeting our supporters, but certainly not at the scenes of serious or fatal crashes.”
Mr Pagano said one in 10 of all CareFlight missions was to treat and airlift patients seriously injured in road crashes.
“Too many families are affected by these types of avoidable accidents. Please take care,” he said.
RACQ spokeswoman Eleisha Rogers said too many motorists continued to gamble with their lives behind the wheel.
“It is not worth taking unnecessary risks on the road as your decisions do not just affect yourself; they can also have devastating impacts on your passengers or other road users,” Ms Rogers said.
“If you are worried, you may not be fit to drive, you should seek alternate transport options such as taxis, public transport or a designated driver.”