Almost half the drivers who died on Mackay roads in five years were under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs. That is the stark reality revealed in the University of the Sunshine Coast s Road Safety Research Collaboration study into fatal crashes in Queensland from 2011 to 2015. Professor Jeremy Davey said data suggested drink-driving and drug-driving fatalities were higher for rural and regional areas like Mackay. Last week on Mackay region roads, police stopped 17 alleged drug-drivers and 14 alleged drink-drivers, Acting Senior Sergeant Daniel Goldburg of Mackay Road Policing Unit said. The figure is almost double the average of 9-10 drug-drivers charged per week in the Mackay district last year.