Regulations to Prevent Ramming of Emergency Vehicles

Proposed laws in Queensland will impose up to 14 years in jail for offenders who intentionally ram an emergency services vehicle. Additionally, causing wilful damage to an emergency vehicle could result in up to seven years’ imprisonment.

Premier Steven Miles expressed concern that some young offenders are targeting emergency services vehicles on the roads and sharing their actions on social media, posing a threat to first responders.

Under the new legislation, deliberately targeting and ramming an emergency vehicle will be a separate offense, providing law enforcement with more tools to address these dangerous incidents.

There has been a rise in ramming incidents against police vehicles, with about 60 incidents reported this year alone. Some of these incidents have resulted in serious injuries to police officers.

The proposed laws aim to hold reckless drivers who damaged emergency services vehicles accountable with additional charges. The Queensland Police Service supports these measures to protect their personnel and ensure public safety.

The government also announced funding for a police helicopter to cover the Sunshine Coast and Wide Bay regions, following the success of similar measures in Townsville and Cairns.