Cairns drivers are careful drivers and we like to promote safe driving to all our customers who hire our prestige cars, whether for a day, weekend or longer. Driver safety is important in Queensland because speeding is one of the biggest causes of road fatalities. The latest statistics show that 48 people died due to speeding on Queensland roads in 2019, so anything we can do to increase road safety is important for everyone.
As a leading car rental company in Cairns, Australia we encourage all our customers to drive safely, but we also take matters into our own hands as well. This involves GPS tracking and security cameras in all our hire cars in Cairns.
The government defines speeding as driving over the posted speed or driving too fast for the conditions. That’s because if you drive at a safe speed you can maximise your stopping distance and give yourself more time to react to a situation. Whether this is a traffic jam, errant kangaroo on the road or everyone’s favourite – roadworks. Driving within the speed limits helps you stop before an accident occurs.
It’s also important to remember that the speed limit on suburban roads in Queensland is 50km/h, unless the posted speed states otherwise. So just because everyone else is speeding, doesn’t mean that you should speed as well! Also you need to take care driving around Cairns in your hire car because we have a lot of narrow windy roads, particularly between Cairns and Port Douglas.
The financial costs to the taxpayer for accidents caused by speeding is estimated to be $3.2 billion in Queensland alone. Of course, that’s nothing compared to the physical and emotional costs. No-one wants to go on holiday, invest in a luxury hire car in Cairns and end up in hospital or even worse due to an accident, all due to speeding, whether themselves or someone else.
If you speed in one of our hire cars in Cairns and the surrounding areas, your hire may be terminated, your bond lost and the GPS and security camera footage given to the police. So always drive safely!
We want you to have the experience of a lifetime in your luxury car hire in Cairns, so below is a list of ways that you can drive safely on our roads.
Driver fatigue plays a significant part in both road fatalities and serious injuries. That’s because when you are tired you lose concentration and become less alert to hazards. Your driving performance is impaired, reactions times suffer and you can’t judge the road conditions very well. Our advice is to share the driving if possible and always pull over your rental car and rest if you start to feel tired when driving in Cairns and the surrounding areas.
Wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk of death or serious injury by 50%. So always wear a seatbelt and make sure that young children are appropriately restrained. It’s the driver that’s responsible for everyone being restrained inside the car and you can be fined $400 and three demerit points if you are caught by the police.
Don’t become distracted by young children in the car and don’t use your phone while driving. The penalty for using your phone is $1000 and 4 demerit points in Queensland, which is a very expensive trip. If you are caught twice in 12 months you receive another $1000 fine and another eight demerit points – and there goes your licence!
There are other ways to drive safely including knowing how to identify hazards on the road, sharing the road safely with cyclists and not drinking or taking drugs when driving. We support all of these strategies and hope that customers who hire our rental cars in Cairns do so as well.
Speeding can have devastating consequences on all involved. So if the QLD government penalties shown below are not enough to make you slow down, consider the consequences to you, your family and innocent bystanders.
Double demerit points apply if you commit any of the following offenses more than once in any 12 month period. You will also be fined again and receive the same suspension.
For more information on driving safely in your luxury hire car in Cairns, contact us today on 0447 809 899.
Cairns Car Hire
