Fleurieu residents can help shape the development of a new 10-year Road Safety Strategy to reduce lives lost and serious injuries on the state’s roads. 

With South Australia’s Road Safety Strategy 2020, Towards Zero Together, concluding this year, the state government is developing a new strategy to guide safety decisions and investment up to 2031.

The development of the strategy focuses on regional, metropolitan and remote roads – places where people live, shop, do business, attend school and work – and will be guided by extensive consultation with stakeholders and the community.

The state government launched its first round of community consultation for the strategy this week, with an online survey.

Road Safety Minister Vincent Tarzia says input from communities and stakeholders across South Australia is critical for developing effective measures to prevent road tragedies.

“Every person in South Australia is a road user. Whether you drive, ride, walk or are a passenger, this is your opportunity to help shape a new Road Safety Strategy to guide the state’s progress to reduce lives lost and serious injuries,” he says.

“We want to better understand how you travel around your community, what goals must be set for improving road safety over the next 10 years, and what issues must be prioritised and addressed in the Road Safety Strategy.

“Fatalities and serious injuries on our roads are preventable. The residual effects of crashes are devastating for the families and loved ones of victims, and for those who support the seriously injured. Some survivors of road crashes are left with long-term life-changing injuries.”

The new strategy is supported by road safety data, research, and Centre for Automotive Safety and Research modelling, which provides insight into how lives lost and serious injuries can be prevented.

Data from the last five-year period (2015 – 2019) shows:

• A total of 482 people lost their life and a further 3,482 people were seriously injured on South Australian roads.
• In 2019, the highest number of lives lost in almost a decade was recorded, with 114 fatalities.
• Two thirds of people who are killed or seriously injured in road crashes are vehicle occupants – drivers and passengers. The other one third involves vulnerable road users like motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists.
• Older and younger age groups are overrepresented in lives lost on our roads.
• The rate of lives lost per 100,000 people is now four-times higher in regional SA compared to metropolitan Adelaide.
• Regional residents represent the majority of lives lost in rural areas.
• In the metropolitan area, one third of crashes resulting in lives lost, and almost half of crashes resulting in serious injury, occur at intersections.
• To have your say, complete the online survey before consultation closes on Monday, 2 November.

The draft Strategy will be available for feedback on yourSAy in 2021.

Image by WikimediaImages from Pixabay