Victoria Stone-Meadows

A spate of road deaths on the Captain Cook Highway has spurred the RACQ to call on governments to improve road safety between Port Douglas and Cairns.

Eight people lost their lives driving the Captain Cook Highway between 2013 and 2017 with six of those deaths occurring between Port Douglas and Clifton Beach.

An Australian Road Assessment Program (AusRAP) report rated the safety of the Captain Cook Highway a dismal two out of five safety points.

RACQ Head of Public Policy Dr Rebecca Michael said the standard of the road is far below the expected level.

“Generally all roads should have a minimum rating of three out of five,” she said.

While Dr Michael said the Smithfield bypass is a great initiative to improve safety on that section of the road, more could be done to improve safety further north of Cairns.

“Other safety improvements are required along the length of the Captain Cook,” she said.

“If we look at the crash data for the road between Cairns and Port Douglas, what we see is a lot of run offs and crossings of the center line.

“Simple things like removing trees from the immediate roadside and installing more safety barriers would help improve safety.” 

See where the last five years of fatal road accidents on the Cook Highway Occurred

Dr Micahel also said the inclusion of painted turning lanes at popular places where people stop would be a great low-cost solution to reducing crashes.

“If the State and Federal Governments focused on funding small but effective safety projects on the road, we’d save lives and prevent hundreds of injuries over the next 20 years,” she said.

A spokesperson from the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads could not provide specifics on any safety improvements planned for the highway beyond Palm Cove.

“Funding for further safety upgrades between Buchan Point and Mossman will be prioritised against other important projects for inclusion in future works programs,” the spokesperson said.