V8 Supercar Champion Craig Lowndes has teamed up with Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson to warn Queenslanders to slow down.

This message comes a day after a collision near Gatton killed a mother and her two sons.

Rory Dawson reports.

TRANSCRIPT

It was a pit stop very different to the one he’s used to.

V8 Champion Craig Lowdnes dropped in to check out the Queensland Police’s own supercars and to remind Queenslanders the road is not a race track.

Craig Lowdnes, V8 Supercar Champion: “When I drive on the road it’s actually more scary for me than it is on a race track, we do try and race in the same direction most of the time and basically for us we’re in a controlled environment.”

Commissioner Atkinson is hoping that with the help of the media Queenslanders will change their attitude towards driving.

Bob Atkinson, Queensland Police Commissioner: “So we can do better, we can reduce the road toll and if we stay to the speed limit and drive to the conditions that will make a big impact on it.”

Despite the road toll dropping by a third so far this year, police are urging motorists to slow down.

The message comes after yesterday’s accident on the Warrego highway near Gatton.

A sedan carrying four passengers crashed into a truck resulting in the death of a mother and her two sons.

Bob Atkinson, Queensland Police Commissioner: “It’s too early to say what caused that accident. What we do know though and I would say this with certainty is in relation to that accident, that crash yesterday is that it was avoidable.”

Queensland’s road toll currently stands at 62 for 2010.

Rory Dawson, QUT News