Published
The Fatal Five are a useful reminder of the decisions that matter every time you drive: speed, alcohol and drugs, distraction, fatigue and seatbelts. For a new driver, turning that advice into a routine makes it easier to act on.
There can already be plenty to think about when you start driving independently. Our driving tuition for safe everyday habits gives learners time to practise the observations and decisions behind these reminders.
1. Leave yourself time to respond
Stay within the speed limit and reduce your speed when visibility, traffic or road conditions require it. Check your speed regularly, including after leaving a faster road where a lower speed can initially feel unusually slow.
Speed affects the distance travelled before you react and the distance needed to stop. StreetSmarts explains stopping distances. Allowing extra travel time also makes it easier to accept delays without feeling pressure to hurry.
2. Decide how you will get home
Arrange a lift, public transport, a taxi or another suitable option before a night out if you plan to drink. Queensland learner and provisional drivers must have a zero blood alcohol concentration. Check the alcohol limits that apply to your licence.
Medicines can affect driving too. Read the label and ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are unsure about drowsiness, other effects or combinations of medicines. The Queensland drugs and driving guidance explains why a prescription is not a reason to ignore impairment.
3. Put distractions away before moving
Set up anything you need before you drive and put your phone away. Tell passengers if you need a quieter car to concentrate. Asking for a little space to think is a sensible decision, especially on an unfamiliar road.
Queensland learner and P1 drivers under 25 cannot use a mobile phone while driving, including hands-free or through a headset. Their passengers must not use a phone's loudspeaker. Read the driver distraction guidance and stop safely if something needs your attention.
4. Treat tiredness as a reason to stop
Heavy eyelids, repeated yawning, difficulty concentrating or drifting within a lane are warnings. A busy day at work or study can leave you too tired to drive, even when the trip is familiar.
Start rested, plan regular breaks and arrange another way home if needed. If tiredness develops, find a safe place to stop. Queensland's fatigue advice explains the warning signs and why you should not push through them.
5. Check restraints before every trip
Before you move, check that everyone has a properly adjusted and fastened seatbelt or the correct child restraint. This routine matters on a short trip as well as a long one.
The driver has responsibilities for passengers' restraints. Read the Queensland seatbelt rules, including correct fitting and the requirements for children. Waiting while a passenger fixes their belt is worth the moment it takes.
Original Queensland Police infographic, retained with its attribution. Read the Queensland Police Fatal Five resource.
Read the infographic's comparisons in text
The original graphic reports research comparisons, rather than a count of crashes in the current year:
- It links speeds 5 km/h above urban limits or 10 km/h above rural limits with twice the risk of a casualty crash.
- It says more than one in four drivers and riders killed on Australian roads had alcohol levels above the legal limit.
- It compares drug-related crash risk with driving at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.1 to 0.15%.
- It reports almost one in four drivers ignoring medicine warnings.
- It describes an eightfold fatal-crash risk for unrestrained occupants and fourfold crash risk with phone use.
- It compares driving ability after 17 hours awake with a blood alcohol concentration of 0.05%.
These are population-level comparisons, not a way to decide whether an individual is fit to drive. The practical actions above apply without trying to calculate your personal risk.
Make a plan that is easy to follow: enough travel time, a suitable driver, a rested start and a restraint check before moving. If one of those pieces is missing, change the plan before you set off.