Target 22: Road safety

Reduce road fatalities and serious injuries by at least 30% by 2020.

(the department is lead agency for this target)

While 108 fatalities were recorded on South Australia’s roads compared with a road toll of 97 fatalities in 2013 and 94 fatalities in 2012, the number of serious injuries continued to fall, with 711 serious injuries in 2014, the lowest serious injury total on record.

Actions implemented from the Road Safety Action Plan 2013-16 include:

• passenger and night-time driving restrictions to protect young drivers
• point-to-point average speed systems on rural highways across the State
• best practice road safety education in kindergartens and child care centres
• motorcycle safety infrastructure and strategies to encourage the take-up of advanced motorcycle safety systems
• installation of wombat crossings in Hahndorf to improve pedestrian safety
• upgrades at more than 12 metropolitan intersections to reduce right turn crashes
• installation of a raised platform at the junction of The Parade West and Rundle Street, Kent Town, to slow vehicles down and improve safety
• speed limit reduction in the vicinity of emergency service workers from
  40 km/h to 25 km/h
• a workshop on the safe use of mobility scooters for the Moving Right Along program for older drivers.

Other departmental efforts to increase road safety are the:

• South Eastern Freeway Safety Improvement Program, which identified:
  • 22 potential measures to improve safety for roads users,
  • priority measures being investigated and delivered include driver education and training, heavy vehicle maintenance and operation, and road safety infrastructure improvements.
• On the Right Track Remote, a driver licensing program for Aboriginal people in the APY and MT Lands
• transition to the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, which has safety benefits through a consistent, national approach
• continued provision of child restraints and related education in remote Aboriginal communities
• increased student participation in the Way2Go Bike Education program
• Residents Win grant program to improve community road safety
• Code of Practice for Motor Driving Instructors and renewed rules for driving testers to improve driver training services to the community
• road safety infrastructure projects in Adelaide and regional South Australia funded under the Black Spot program and other road safety infrastructure funding programs.

Further road safety statistics:

• Fatal crashes in the Adelaide metropolitan area decreased from 35 in 2013 to 34 in 2014. Rural fatal crashes increased from 54 in 2013 to 62 in 2014
• young road user fatalities aged 16-24 increased from 15 in 2013 to 17 in 2014, but are below the previous 5 year average of 23 fatalities (2009-2013)
• older road user fatalities aged 70+ decreased from 24 deaths in 2013 to 21 in 2014, and three more than the previous 5 year average (2009-2013)
• the number of motorcyclists killed down from 12 in 2013 to 11 in 2014
• in 28 per cent of fatal crashes in 2014 speeding was considered a contributing factor. This is lower than the 5 year (2009-2013) average of 33 per cent of fatal crashes being considered as speed related. In 2013 this figure was 26 per cent
• 22 per cent of drivers/riders killed in fatal crashes in 2014 had an illegal blood alcohol concentration (BAC). This compares to 25 per cent in 2013 and a 5 year average (2009-2013) of 27 per cent
• 24 per cent of drivers/riders killed in 2014 tested positive for the presence of cannabis, methamphetamine or ecstasy or a combination of these drugs. This compares to 18 per cent in 2013 and a 5 year average (2009-2013) of 21 per cent
• of the drivers and passengers killed in 2014, 25 per cent were not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash. In 2013 31 per cent were not restrained and the previous 5 year average (2009-2013) is 34 per cent
• seriously injured drivers decreased from 369 in 2013 to 320 in 2014
• the number of pedestrian serious injuries decreased from 87 in 2013 to 59 in 2014
• older road users aged 70+ seriously injured decreased from 82 in 2013 to 57 in 2014
• 16-24 year old serious injuries increased from 143 in 2013 to 170 in 2014. The increase has been in the number of 16-19 year olds seriously injured from 50 in 2013 to 80 in 2014.