Plea for safer behaviour with National Road Safety Week

The State Government is pleading for people to be safer on our roads as National Road Safety Week begins.

Already this year 29 lives have been lost on our roads.

The State Government has released a comprehensive new Road Safety Action Plan to reduce lives lost by 50 per cent and serious injures by 30 per cent by 2031.

This includes the introduction of time-based 40km/h zones at priority sites near schools to protect some of the state’s most vulnerable road users with these to be progressively implemented from mid-2025.

Another key prevention measure has been the introduction of mobile phone detection cameras to reduce road trauma caused by driver distraction.

Latest data shows the mobile phone detection cameras have been effective, with the number of drivers caught using their mobile phone dropping by 86% at locations where new cameras have been introduced.

Several other important road safety initiatives were recently implemented, including:

• New licensing requirements for drivers of ultra-high powered vehicles
• Release of a Road Safety at Work guide to support organisations embed a culture of road safety in the workplace
• Enhancements to the Rider Safe program for novice motorbike riders
• New online Hazard Perception Test

During National Road Safety Week, SA Police will be running Operation Danger, which focuses on dangerous road use offences including following too close, disobeying traffic lights and dangerously changing lanes.

The RAA will launch a new regional road safety program of community Town Hall events for local road users to share their experiences on what can be done to reduce the overrepresentation of lives lost on regional roads.

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Quotes

Attributable to Stephen Mullighan

Reducing the lives lost and serious injuries on South Australia’s roads is a top priority for this Government.

Every road death or serious injury is a tragedy and has an impact on families, friends, communities and the emergency service personnel who respond to incidents or work to save lives.

The Government launched its new Road Safety Action Plan earlier this year to improve safety on our roads, which includes important initiatives such as reducing speed limits near schools.

Attributable to Superintendent Shane Johnson, SA Police Traffic Services Branch Officer in Charge

Today, and every day, South Australia Police does our part in making roads across Australia safe - and we urge all road users to do the same.

Throughout National Road Safety Week, police will conduct Operation Danger, which targets easily avoidable offences and if drivers obey them, they’re less likely to cause a crash.

Road users should simply make safe road choices and drive to survive. Give each other space between vehicles, check your blind spots and slow down as you approach intersection.

Attributable to Charles Mountain, RAA Senior Manager Road Safety

National Road Safety Week is a timely reminder each year of the consequences that all road users and pedestrians face when things go wrong on our roads—a split-second poor decision can unfortunately have a lifelong impact on so many families.

Along with the State Government and SA Police we want to use the week to remind drivers of the Fatal 5 causes of road trauma: distraction, speed, driving under the influence, not wearing a seatbelt and dangerous behaviour.

We’re pleading with all South Australians to consider the responsibility that comes with sharing the road safely.

We’d urge families to use National Road Safety Week to have conversations with loved ones about road safety and the importance of looking out for one another whenever we’re driving, riding or walking—one conversation might save a life.