Ipswich police fine 29 drivers over unrestrained children

Ipswich police are urging motorists to make sure children are buckled in on every trip after issuing 29 traffic infringement notices for unrestrained children during a two-day operation this week.

Officers from the Ipswich Highway Patrol unit ran a number of static sites across Ipswich on 27 and 28 October, targeting a range of traffic offences and educating drivers about child passenger safety.

In one case, a 66-year-old Redbank Plains woman was intercepted with four unrestrained children in the back of her vehicle. She was issued with $5,525 in fines and incurred 19 demerit points.

Police issued 49 traffic infringement notices in total and conducted 258 random breath tests. Other offences detected included driving without due care and attention, disobeying road signs, unregistered driving, unlicensed driving and driving with an expired licence.

Officer in Charge of Ipswich Highway Patrol, Senior Sergeant Jarrad Tyne, said drivers had a responsibility to ensure children were properly restrained.

"It’s extremely concerning to see children put at risk in this way. Child restraints and seatbelts save lives and ensuring children are properly secured is a basic responsibility of every driver," Senior Sergeant Tyne said.

"An unrestrained child can suffer serious injuries or even life-threatening injuries in a crash, even on a short trip. There is no excuse for failing to take this simple but critical step to protect them.

"Police will continue to target dangerous driving behaviours and hold motorists accountable for offences that put themselves and other road users at risk."

The operation is part of Operation Interpose, under which police are bolstering high-visibility patrols across Queensland to deter dangerous driving behaviours.