Road safety vital
I write to draw the community’s attention to recent technological advances that have the potential to save lives on our roads – the ‘do not disturb while driving’ or ‘auto reply’ function on smartphones that are designed to block incoming calls, texts and notifications while you’re driving.
As a road safety advocate, I often see people’s lives catastrophically changed in an instant as a result of distracted driving. In fact, Queensland government statistics reveal that people using phones and other mobile devices while driving are four times more likely to crash. I therefore welcome this important initiative.
Already in 2017 we have seen 115 people die on Queensland’s roads – two more than at the same point last year. These accidents are often preventable.
Safety measures such as the ‘do not disturb’ function on smart phones are an important step in reducing road fatalities, but prevention is always key to making sure we all arrive home safely at the end of every day.
I urge those in the local region to use these smartphone functions before they get behind the wheel – it might save a life.
- J. Barrett, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers
Country nightmare
Tracey Brussow extolled the beauty of moving from suburbia to rural living (Rural Life, JT, July 12).
Yes, we at New Beith and Greenbank have all done that. Peace and quiet, wildlife, space, we have all enjoyed them. But developers could see the dollars waiting to be earned, and they got on to a government entity created by Labor under Anna Bligh called ULDA (Urban Land Development Authority); and despite objections from almost every resident in these regions, a high-density area was designated near the Pub Lane shopping centre.
Blocks as small as 400 square metres are planned, with the accompanying problems of heavy traffic, no public transport, loss of wildlife areas, increased crime and a multitude of rentals.
So your family members should beware, Tracey – paradise may at the stroke of a pen become a trashy over-development, and no government entity will give a hoot.
- Verris Buckle, New Beith
Changing names
This is what our governments waste our tax dollars on, renaming suburbs. Changing a name does not change anything, we still have poor roads, too much development that the area can't handle, overcrowded schools and no public transport.
- Carla Mullenberg, via Facebook
