The RACQ has revealed shocking new statistics showing many of Queensland’s most inexperienced drivers have been caught speeding. More than 200,000 learner and P-plater drivers have been fined in just a few years.

Alice Leggett reports.

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It’s a harsh reality many novice drivers are going too fast.

The RACQ says speeding contributes to around 20% of deaths on Queensland roads.

Clare Hunter, RACQ: “We’d urge anyone getting behind the wheel to just stick to the speed limit. Those speed limits are there for a reason. They’re not there to make your life difficult or make you get to your appointment or something slower. They’re there to keep you safe.”

Queensland’s peak motoring lobby group says over the past five years, more than 212,000 inexperienced drivers have been issued speeding tickets.

There are plenty of excuses and explanations for the problem.

Dan Taylor, P-plate driver: “I think a lot of it just comes with the fact of how, for the majority of the time, it is so easy to get away with it.”

Riley Camejo, P-plate driver: “I feel like it’s, it can be seen as a thing of, they are new to driving and so they are sort of policed harder.”

Despite plenty of publicity, the message still isn’t getting through.

Alex Lee, P-plate driver: “I think everyone’s very aware of what speeding does because we have campaign after campaign after campaign, for years and years we’ve had them coming out, I think people just need to get their minds in the right place.”

The risks learner and P-plate drivers are taking by going faster than the speed limit are certainly not paying off.

Clare Hunter, RACQ: “The problem with speeding is that if an accident happens, if something goes wrong and there is a crash, it’s unpredictable, so not only could you be putting yourself at risk if you are speeding, but you could put other people on the road at risk too.”

Alice Leggett, QUT News.