Police in outback Queensland have launched a road safety campaign targeting grey nomads around the nation.

Police say there has been a surge in accidents on outback roads this winter, caused by tourists unfamiliar with hazards such as gravel roads, wildlife crossings and road trains.

The "Stay on Track Outback" campaign is the brainchild of Dominic Richardson, the police officer in the tiny town of Tambo, in Queensland's south-west.

He is sick of seeing the carnage on the roads caused by the inexperience of grey nomads.

A ute lies overturned after a crash in outback Queensland. Police say most crashes involving grey nomads happen when they have only been on the road for a fortnight or less

"Every tourist season we have a repeat number of single vehicle crashes that involve grey nomads, so I thought, we had to do something," he told the ABC.

"It is distressing to see that personal tragedy when these people are recent retirees, they've planned [these trips] for years.

"Most of the ones I've dealt with, they've only left home in the last two weeks."

While grey nomads have been driving for decades, it has usually been in suburban streets, not on the nation's outback highways.

There, they might encounter a massive road train, wildlife such as kangaroos or emus, and cattle or sheep grazing along unfenced stretches of highways.

The campaign includes a series of television commercials which also target the hazards of driving at night, and fatigue from driving long distances.

The mining boom has also significantly increased heavy vehicle traffic on remote highways.

Wildlife hazard: An emu on a road in outback Queensland ( Craig Berkman )

Charleville District Inspector Mick Dowie says motorists need to be aware they may have to pull over to let a road train or oversized vehicle pass safely.

He says conditions on rural roads can change in an instant.

"You can be on a perfectly sealed two lane road, you turn off that road, and for 100 metres it'll be the same.

"And then with the outback roads they narrow down to a single lane bitumen or even a dirt road".

Many recent retirees also do not have much experience towing a caravan, and Mr Richardson says if they swerve to avoid a roo, it can end in disaster.

"The rear wheel goes off into the dirt, they lose control, they brake, the outcome's the same every time - the vehicle rolls, the caravan rolls, and that's the end of their holiday," he said.

And there can be even more devastating consequences.

"The long distance between outback towns means that the emergency response is not always immediately at hand," Inspector Dowie said.