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Two fatal head on collisions on "safe" Brisbane roads within 24 hours of each other have been described as "tragic" and "horrendous" by police.
The Forensic Crash Unit is investigating both accidents, with drugs and alcohol the focus at this stage.
A male passenger, 61, from Maroochydore being driven by his partner, was killed after a ute rammed into the Hyundai he was travelling in on the Gateway Motorway overnight.
Police allege a 29-year-old man had driven onto the wrong side of the northbound lanes near the Mount Gravatt Capalaba Road exit at Rochedale just after 4:00am.
His ute allegedly hit the small hatchback head-on at about 100 kilometres per hour.
Acting Inspector Alicia Coyne described the scene as "horrible".
"The first responders were confronted with a scene that was quite horrendous," she said.
"The vehicles had debris spread across 80 metres and both cars were significantly damaged.
"It would have been on top of them before it was too late I am guessing.
"And you certainly would not expect a car to come from the other direction."
The ute driver, who lives at Loganholme, escaped with only minor injuries and has been released from the Princess Alexandra Hospital.
He is yet to be formally interviewed by police.
The 62-year-old female partner of the dead man remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition.
The accident shut down the northbound lanes of the Gateway for more than three hours.
In eerily similar circumstances, a 32-year-old woman passenger was killed on Friday night in a high-impact head on crash the Pacific Motorway, south of Brisbane.
The two drivers survived the impact but with significant injuries.
No charges have been laid and police said they were yet to interview the male driver.
Inspector Coyne said it was a miracle anyone survived both crashes on what was one of the worst weekends on South East Queensland roads for some time.
"It is tragic. I don't know what you can do to stop them; obviously it is driver error and people need to pay more attention to what they are doing and what influences are they driving under," she said.
"You just have to remain vigilant … three or four lanes in that area. Not a lot of time to react if a car is coming at you at speed. "
The road toll stands at 97, exactly the same as this time last year.
Topics: accidents---other, crime, traffic-offences, brisbane-4000, pimpama-4209, southport-4215
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