Media Release from Ipswich City Councillor Paul Tully
Ipswich City Council has welcomed the State Government's new anti-rock throwing legislation.
It says it could save lives on the notorious stretch of the Ipswich Motorway between Gailes and Riverview with 7 pedestrian bridges and flyovers which are used as vantage points to project dangerous missiles onto fast-moving vehicles.
Goodna Councillor Paul Tully said he received regular complaints of juveniles throwing rocks at cars and semi-trailers usually at night.
"They smash the windscreens of vehicles travelling at up to 100 kph and it's only sheer luck no one has been killed.
"This has been a serious problem in Ipswich for the past 30 years."
Cr Tully said this section of the Ipswich Motorway is one of the worst stretches of road in Queensland for this sort of offence.
Cr Tully said the new legislation would give the courts the power to jail offenders for up to 2 years.
He said a powerful deterrent was needed to stop what he described as "the brainless lunatics who deserve to be jailed for their actions".
"All we will then need is for the local magistrates to impose stiff prison sentences and not just a slap over the wrist and send the offenders on their way," Cr Tully said.
