Yet another nasty caravan rollover accident on the Bruce Highway is bound to prompt yet further questions about the safety of the road.
The accident, just past the Johnston’s Rd off-ramp at Glass House Mountains, caused traffic chaos yesterday afternoon.
A Queensland Ambulance Service spokesman said two patients were assessed at the scene but no injuries were reported.
The northbound lanes of the highway were closed for a significant period of time and huge tailbacks quickly developed.
The cause of the accident is under investigation.
While the Bruce Highway has got a bad reputation among drivers and has previously
The rollover caused traffic chaos. PIC: Warren Lynam /Courier-Mail
been named as one of the most dangerous roads in the country, some sections are worse than others.
In the middle of last year, the Brisbane Courier-Mail reported that a staggering 422 people were injured in crashes on one stretch of the highway, 100 kilometres north and south of Townsville, in the previous four years.
Queensland motoring organisation, the RACQ, immediately called for an acceleration of cheap but effective safety upgrades on the notorious highway.
“There’s still more to do over the entire Bruce Highway to reduce intersection, head-on and run off road crashes,” said RACQ spokesperson, Paul Turner. “While we support the Bruce Highway Upgrade Program, , we want to see those much needed safety works programs delivered sooner – because the longer we delay the more Queensland lives we put at risk.”
He also said motorists had a part to play in reducing the carnage.
“This is one of the longest highways in the country and has thousands of cars, trucks and motorbikes travel it every day,” Mr Turner said. “Whether travelling the Bruce Highway or our suburban streets, it’s important every driver considers the Fatal Five, and never gets behind the wheel when tired, distracted, drunk or drug affected.”
He said all drivers needed to all make the commitment to stick to the speed limit, drive to conditions and make sure everyone is buckled up.
Done more than a million miles all over Australia in my time driving cars,trucks and now towing a caravan and never has there been a more dangerous road to travel on.It is a bloody disgrace,no doubt there are occasions where speed and driver error are to blame but this is a main highway .The government should hold there heads in shame.I am surprised there are not more accidents and deaths.They go on about the lack of tourists up north, but if you cant get there or are not game to travel this goat track then there is your answer.Stevo
Hello Paul,
What part of the Bruce Highway that goes between Caboolture and Caloundra …ie the section where it passes Glasshouse is a “goat track” ?
You may have traveled a million km Paul, but I dive that section EVERY WEEK day, and that section of the Bruce Highway (Pacific Coast Way) cannot remotely be described as a goat track. But jeepers, almost every day I see people speeding, and yes Gary, 112 is speeding on that setion where the LIMIT is 110km/hr, (and when towing my caravan I typically dont go over 100km/hr and often drive closer to 90 km/hr in a 100km/hr zone, and I’m sorry to those who I try and let pass me, but that a safer speed when towing …and but don’t blame the Bruce Highway for this accident. Who knows what caused it…could have been anything.
OBB, I completely agree with your comment. The Bruce Highway where this accident happened had absolutely nothing to do with this accident. Mechanical or Driver error will be to blame.
Never blame the roads it’s always the idiot be behind the wheel
I followed a ute this morning up the bruce hi way i was doing 112 and he was getting away on me. Was taking up both lanes. I think they need to look at the main problem. It is not the road it is located between the steering wheel and the seat. It is not a race and in most states the max speed towing is 100km but some just have to be in front at any cost. I travel that road from brisbane up 2 to 3 times a week and see all the idiots
Quite distressing really. I’m wondering with yet another roll-over what the authorities will be doing in QLD and other States re set up of vans, weight concerns, speed and the ever lurking sway.As long as the occupants are OK, everyone is happy.
“He said all drivers needed to all make the commitment to stick to the speed limit, drive to conditions and make sure everyone is buckled up.”
Agree 100%. No ‘special’ licence needed. Just do what is written above. Personally, I drive no more than 95kmh max and courteous to other drivers including the heavy vehicle drivers.
I’d have to ask why it rolled on that particular stretch. It’s flat, dual lane and if you get into trouble there by yourself, then you really do have a poor setup. Carries a lot of traffic, so maybe external factors such as inattention or another vehicle interaction. Certainly not the fault of the road.
I have towed vans over most of Australian highways without a major problem so why oh why is this bad.
Probably a lack of funds due to bad political decisions as usual.
I say make politicians drive not fly then maybe we can a better result for our roads.
Travelled the Bruce for many years.
Never had a problem.
To many idiots driving too fast and too close to each other.
They wouldn’t have a clue what the three second rule means.
I too have travelled the width and length of this nation and many so called goat tracks of roads including the Great Central Road up and down for 2 1/2 years. It is very simple, drive to the conditions.
Ban mobile phones from vehicles and make it impossible to use cruise control whilst towing would vastly improve road safety. After travelling about 7 million k’s as a professional truck driver over 47 years I have seen it all. There’s nothing wrong with the highway, its just the idiots who do not know how to drive to the conditions
Gerald, agree mostly with what you say, but i am , a bit confused with your statement about cruise control. I have also driven heavy transport and have towed caravans around Australia since the early 70’s never yet have i had any issues with using CC. As i have stated in my earlier post, the issue with the majority of all accidents irrespective of where it is, is drivers that have no idea with driving to the conditions at the time. There are certain times when CC is fine but because you have access to it doesn’t mean you need to use it all of the time. It would be great if everyone actually got rid of the emotion out of these arguments and dealt with the actual issues.
If you think the Bruce Hwy is bad try a few out west, Warrego , Leichhardt Dawson are a few that are a damn site worse than the Bruce. If you can’t handle a van/trailer that close to Brisbane Lord help you on the others
This argument about roads is such a stupid distraction, everyone that gets a licence needs to understand their responsibilities when driving. The number 1 rule is the key to it all “drive to the road conditions”, so many people think that if the speed limit say 100KPH then that’s what they have to do, so rain, hail or shine foot down get to 100 and stay there. Driving is not a difficult process, my father taught me to drive 50 years ago and his number piece of advise,”treat every other driver on the road as an idiot and you will become a defensive driver”, best advise i ever received.
Great advice from Dad. There are so many idiots on the road. We travel that highway with a caravan and at times just tne car. We see so many who are just accidents waiting to happen. We see drivers towing caravan overtaking at high speed, overloaded, changing lanes. Then there are the tradies, p platers who tnink tney are Lewis Hamilton and tney
are not, lane weavers with no regard for anyone else on tne road, those who cant merge when a caravan is coming, truckies tailgating a d speeding. Before we blame the road as cause of accident lets take into consideration there could ha e been external causes. We have travelled this road for decades, even tne old road and have seen it all. REG
Dear OBB, Never once did I assume or imply that piece of the Bruce caused or contributed to that accident. However I believe if you took the time to drive all the Bruce there would be few that disagreed the Bruce needs fixing and has been a factor in a lot of accidents But apparently you DIVE that section not DRIVE it. Stevo.
Paul Stevenson – you intimated that the accident was caused by the Goat Track called the Bruce Highway. Let go of that theory mate, it doesn’t cut the mustard in this instance. The article written here is about that particular accident. OBB is correct in his summation of your comment.
Before we cast blame could we ask the driver towing the van how the accident happened.
A few years back it was a weekly event at the start of winter for a van roll over between Brisbane and Caloundra. Great bit of road, some nasty events, most vans new or near new. Nothing wrong with the road surface there, but I bet something wrong with the setup, loading, ball weight, etc. Unfortunately I have witnessed a few van roll overs, and they all started with the death wobbles! Training and proper set up is the answer.
Would anyone who has rolled a van like to comment?
there is a dash cam of this accident, easy to see why it happened. Being overtaken by a semi and started to sway.
The worst bit of road for the impact is the M7 in Sydney, it like driving in a wind tunnel
There always seems to be a lot of emotional hype in this forum proceeding a Caravan prang…
Like every other vehicle on our roads there will be prangs and rollovers..
Time to move on to more enlightening subjects…!
To date I have never been able to read the findings of “investigations” of these “accidents” …. ?? Driver Error? Road Surface the cause? High cross winds? Faulty equipment?? What???