Queensland’s most dangerous road: the Bruce Highway crisis

The Bruce Highway is the most dangerous road in Queensland.

It ranks third among Australia’s most crash-prone roads and accounts for all five of Queensland’s top crash sites.

In the past ten years, 11,000 insurance claims have been attributed to the 1,600km highway stretching from Cairns to Brisbane.

Yet not enough is being done to reduce these numbers.

The Bruce Highway is a major north-south road corridor that begins in Brisbane and passes through key regional areas such as Maryborough, Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville, and Cairns. The highway is a critical link between the coastal population and freight movements and serves 58% of Queensland’s population, making it one of the state’s most vital transport and connection routes.

Fatalities on the rise

Queensland’s road toll remains a sobering statistic, with 302 lives lost in 2024 alone, the worst year for road trauma in 15 years. 

The Bruce Highway is responsible for 41 of these deaths in the past 12 months. It’s particularly dangerous along the Rockhampton and Gympie stretches, which have been identified as claiming the most lives.

With speed limits reaching 110km/h, congestion, and unpredictable driver behaviour, the highway poses significant risks to motorists.

Over the past decade, 11,000 insurance claims have been linked to Queensland’s most dangerous road. Drivers over 65 have been most affected, highlighting how the highway’s challenging conditions can impact even experienced Queenslanders. 

The true cost of these tragedies is felt long after the crash sites are cleared.

Lives changed in an instant

Collisions on the Bruce Highway don’t just impact those involved, they send shockwaves through families and entire communities.

As a lawyer, I represent clients who have experienced harm as a result of transport accidents. In many cases, survivors are left with severe, life-altering injuries that require extensive medical treatment and long-term rehabilitation.

From spinal damage and traumatic brain injuries to complex fractures, recovery can take months or even years, placing immeasurable physical and emotional strain on victims and their loved ones.

That’s if they are fortunate enough to survive.

In almost all cases, those that are injured never fully recover from the accident, leaving a long-lasting impact on their lives, which can never be fully compensated through a monetary award for damages.

The impact of a serious accident extends far beyond the initial crash. Families are often left grappling with the emotional and financial strain that follows. The cost of ongoing medical care, surgeries, rehabilitation, home modifications and therapy can spiral into hundreds of thousands of dollars, especially when an accident results in loss of income.

Why is Bruce Highway so dangerous?

Known as the ‘Highway of Shame’, Bruce Highway’s reputation as one of Queensland’s most dangerous roads is not without reason. High traffic volumes, unpredictable road conditions and hazardous design flaws are major factors contributing to crashes.

One of the biggest risks is the daily volume of vehicles using the highway. The Brisbane segment of the vital link sees more than 100,000 vehicles daily. Congestion, specifically near townships and built-up areas, leads to sudden braking and nose-to-tail collisions. In some areas, the lack of proper lane divisions significantly increases the risk of head-on crashes.

Illegal overtaking poses one of the biggest risks, with impatient drivers trying to pass slower-moving vehicles on undivided sections of the highway, leading to its primary cause of road accidents.

Heavy rainfall and frequent flooding impact large stretches of the road, making them slippery and reducing visibility. Poor road maintenance, including potholes and uneven surfaces, further exacerbates risks, particularly for motorcyclists and heavy vehicles.

The rise in road fatalities on the Bruce Highway continues to make it one of Queensland’s worst road tolls in recent years, underscoring the urgent need for safety improvements.

Efforts to improve safety

In response to the Bruce Highway’s shocking road toll, the Queensland government urged the federal government to commit $1 billion to a new safety package, proposing an 80:20 funding split. Transport and Main Roads minister Bart Mellish emphasised the highway’s critical role in connecting regional Queensland, calling for urgent federal support.

The Bruce Highway Upgrade Program is Queensland’s largest road infrastructure initiative. It is working on delivering new overtaking lanes, bridges, roadside barriers, and rest stops. However, progress has been slow, and large parts of the highway will remain high-risk zones.

In addition to physical upgrades, the Bruce Highway Road Operations Improvements Project is rolling out Intelligence Transport Systems (ITS), which will use real-time traffic monitoring, automated speed adjustments, and incident detection to reduce rear-end collisions and congestion-related accidents.

How we can help you

If you've been injured in a motor vehicle accident on the Bruce Highway, you may be eligible to make a compensation claim. This can help with medical and life expenses, rehabilitation support and ongoing care. 

Our team are highly skilled and experienced in getting the best outcomes for our clients. An expert road accident lawyer can help you with your claim and ensure you get the compensation you're entitled to. 
 
Use our free road injury claim check tool to see if you are eligible. Contact us to book a consultation and find out where you stand.