FAR North Queenslanders who widely blame tourists for the frequency of collisions on the Captain Cook Highway, look away now.

Statistics provided by the Cairns Police Forensic Crash Unit reveal just 10 of the 102 crashes between Cairns and Mossman this year have involved visitors.

In fact, only six of those incidents involved foreign motorists. It contradicts the widely held belief in Port Douglas that tourists meandering up the beautiful Captain Cook Highway cause a lot of the crashes.

Senior Constable Russ Parker from the Far North District Crime Prevention in Cairns said the statistics, taken from January 1, didn’t surprise him.

“I have worked in the Cairns Police division for 27 years and have been hearing similar statements since arriving here in 1989,” he told Newsport.

“In my experience it is complacency and inattention by local motorists that is the biggest concern when it comes to traffic crashes in the far north. I think we need to take a long hard look at our own driving behaviour, rather than simply blaming visitors.”

A foreign driver’s 4WD caused a major crash near Wonga Beach, north of Mossman, last month when it was driving on the wrong side of the road, while a 17-year-old Dimbulah girl tragically died in August after a French driver was allegedly doing the same thing.

There have been 22 crashes between Mossman and Buchan Point on the Captain Cook Highway, with four of those involving visitors. The main hotspot has been south of Buchan Point heading towards Cairns, with 80 traffic crashes reported.

There has been one fatality, with a Kuranda man driving a motorcycle was killed near Ellis Beach in February.

“The road trip from Cairns to Port Douglas is widely recognised as being one of Australia and the world’s great tourist drives and as such it is easy to become distracted,” Parker said.

“Whilst that’s fine for passengers, drivers need to remain focused on driving safely to ensure everyone’s well being.

“I believe that it is generally poor driving and not roads, that create dangerous motoring situations. An attentive driver in a roadworthy vehicle should have no issues with travelling the Captain Cook Highway, provided they drive to the conditions and adhere to the traffic regulations.”

The wonderful seaside stretch between Cairns and Port Douglas was first constructed in the early 1930’s, when vehicular traffic was much lighter and slower moving. It is regarded as one of world’s great scenic drives with its windy nature and panoramic vistas, not dissimilar to the Great Ocean Road in Victoria.

Parker said the Cairns Forensic Crash Investigation Unit undertook detailed investigations into all serious and fatal traffic crashes, and found most were caused by the ‘Fatal Five’ driving behaviours of excessive speed, drink or drug driving, failure to wear safety belts, inattention and fatigue.


* What do you think? Do you feel safe driving along the Captain Cook Highway? Have your say in the comments below!