Blog – RAAG

Wide Load Education 2021/2022

Wide Load Education

The Wide Load campaign is aimed at educating Bowen Basin road users to the correct procedures when an oversize load escort vehicle approaches. These loads can exceed ten metres wide and occupy the entire road width, making it important for motorists to know how to respond when they come across them. Not responding appropriately is unlawful and can have dangerous consequences.

The 2021/2022 iteration of the Wide Load Education campaign saw RAAG volunteers distribute over 300 posters around the Bowen Basin and Mackay region. The posters were hung up at rest areas, caravan parks and tourist centres from Rockhampton up to Bowen, and West of Mackay. The response from caravan parks and tourist information centres was positive and helped to spread awareness of the message. In addition to the physical posters being handed out, RAAG reached out to caravan hire & sales companies and emailed a digital copy of the poster/flyer to hand out with their hire/sales packages. This will hopefully reach those coming through the area, especially during the peak tourist season.

RAAG has also recently recieved funding from the Glencore, Hail Creek Community Program to install permanent signs at strategic rest areas throughout the region. These signs will help reinforce the message and alert more road users on how to respond to Wide Loads. These will be installed in the coming months, so if you travelling in the area, keep an eye out for them!

The understanding that these oversize loads are the lifeblood of the region, and that added time should be taken into account when planning a trip. Fatigue management, removal of stress and frustration due to delays by wide load movements is important to factor in as well.

Tips for Travellers:

If towing vans in the Bowen Basin, a very good idea is to monitor channel 40 this will give a good warning of size of wide loads approaching.

If a police escort vehicle is approaching, quickly find a place to stop this is a seriously wide load approaching, beware of soft shoulders on the roadside.

Click here to download a free pdf of our A4 poster

If you would like more information or to be involved, please contact or follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more road safety tips.

Thanks for funding support for the permanent signs:

Stock On Roads

The Stock on Road campaign is to alert and educate the community to the dangers of livestock/animals on roads and new reporting methods available. The Stock on Roads education campaign provides the course of action a driver or any person should take if they identify livestock on public roads.

The critical concern when reporting stock on roads is accuracy of location of the livestock. New “Apps” now significantly assist in this regard.

➢ The “Emergency Plus” App, gives exact road location and Latitude and Longitude which can connect to Triple Zero Operator in the event of an emergency. It can also be used to obtain user’s GPS location prior to reporting via 131 940.

➢ The “Snap Send Solve” App, also reports exact location, with the user having ability to upload photos, it will send automatically message the council area you are in nationwide. Ideal for non-emergency situations.

➢ In the event of an emergency, call Triple Zero however be sure of stock on roads location. If not sure of exact location, use app such as “Emergency Plus” to obtain GPS coordinates.

➢ Call, Text, Email: 131 940 manned 24/7 again be sure of location of stock when reporting. An app such as “Emergency Plus” can be used to obtain GPS location if unsure.

The 2022 Stock on Roads campaign was proudly supported by Isaac Regional Council & Stanmore Coal.

Work Out Visibly

Work Out Visibly – 2022

Be Seen, Be Safe is the message coming from the Road Accident Action Group (RAAG) for those exercising on or near our roads, particularly during the darker winter months. Early mornings and evenings are the hardest time for motorists to safely navigate around pedestrians and cyclists, however there is an easy solution.

Joggers, walkers, cyclists, and anyone on the roads can increase their visibility by wearing fluorescent and/or reflective clothing while exercising at these times. This alerts motorists to their presence and greatly improves their safety. It can be as easy as adding reflective stickers to their helmets or shoes, wearing a fluoro/reflective vest, flashing lights and any other similar items.

The Work Out Visibly safety initiative is a project of the Road Accident Action Group and is now in its third year. Expanding on previous years campaigns, RAAG has secured funding support from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund, Queensland Government, which has allowed the purchase of around nine thousand safety items to give out the public. These items will be given out at various events running throughout the region during the coming months.

“Having these safety items to give out will hopefully raise further awareness of the importance of being visible when exercising on or near our roads in low light conditions. Mackay has seen some terrible incidents between motorists and pedestrians and our goal is to ensure this doesn’t happen to anyone,” said Brett Hoskin, RAAG Chairman.

One of the events included the CQ Rescue Beach to Gardens Fun Run that was on last weekend(24th July). RAAG had the opportunity to give out approximately five hundred reflective stickers, wristbands and flyers to participants, showing how easy it is to improve their safety and raising awareness of this road safety issue.

Other events items will be given out include the Mackay Mountain Marathon (30^th – 31^st July), BMA River to Reef Ride (3^rd – 4^th September), Run for Mi Life (16^th October) and Park Run.

However, if you are part of a local running, walking, or cycling group and would like some Work Out Visibly safety items, please contact RAAG on to secure some before they are all gone. Otherwise, follow RAAG on Facebook (facebook.com/raagmackay/) or Instagram (@raagmackay) for more important road safety tips.

You can also download a free digital copy of our flyer here

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Thanks to funding support from:

Wide Load Education

With the increase of wide load movements in the Bowen Basin during the mining construction boom the risk of a crash between a wide load and other road users was on the increase. An education campaign was planned and implemented to reduce the risk.

A new approach focusing on younger drivers targeting key demographics using Facebook and social media , television, radio and print media. Several thousand copies of the “on the road with wide loads” video on DVD were distributed at caravan shows, trade shows and road safety forums and conferences.

This campaign was aimed at educating Bowen Basin road users to the correct procedures when an oversize load escort vehicle approaches. Education on following and understanding the instructions from pilot vehicles and police are a lawful direction for oncoming and following vehicle’s safety.

The understanding that these oversize loads are the lifeblood of the region and that added time must be included in all trip time planning . Fatigue management, removal of stress and frustration due to delays by wide load movements are inevitable and worth of such an education campaign.

Tips for Travellers:

If towing vans in the Bowen Basin, a very good idea is to monitor channel 40 this will give a good warning of size of wide loads approaching.
If a police escort vehicle is approaching, quickly find a place to stop this is a seriously wide load approaching, beware of soft shoulders on the roadside.