New laws to make South Australian roads safer come into effect from Monday 19 May, requiring motorists to slow down to 25km/h when passing roadside service and recovery vehicles.

The new laws, which passed State Parliament last year, will expand the existing 25 km/h speed limit for emergency services vehicles to also cover RAA and other roadside service and recovery vehicles when their amber lights are flashing.

RAA Senior Manager Safety and Infrastructure Charles Mountain says it is reassuring to see these important changes coming into effect in a new era of improved safety for roadside workers and the community.

“Our patrols and tow truck drivers are often helping members just metres from fast-moving traffic — and they deserve to carry out that work in a safe environment.

“You can’t choose where you breakdown – often it’s on a busy main road or near a precarious intersection – and our patrols and tow truck drivers are often helping vulnerable road users.

“Whether that’s the elderly, a parent with children or any other person stranded at the roadside – it’s not safe for anyone to have cars flying past too fast.

“By slowing down for yellow, it will ensure we’re all helping to protect the people they are helping.

“If it were your family stuck on the side of the road, I’m sure you’d want others to slow down to help keep them safe.

“Between 2019 and February 2025, RAA Road Service recorded 23 reportable safety incidents involving vehicles failing to slow down near breakdowns.

“Alarmingly, that includes eight incidents where patrol vehicles were struck, and five where traffic cones were hit or dragged down the road.

RAA will continue to work with the state government to help educate and raise awareness in the community regarding these new road safety changes.

“We’ll be working to ensure our members, and the wider public understand the new laws and why they matter,” Mr Mountain says.

The reduced speed limit will also apply when passing bollards or cones that have been set up around a vehicle by a breakdown services worker.

An education campaign will urge drivers to slow down when passing a breakdown scene so that roadside workers, stricken motorists and passengers can get safely back on the road.

Breakdown services workers are particularly vulnerable on high-speed arterial roads, with poor visibility, weather and ground conditions also posing a risk.

The safety campaign uses radio, social media and roadside advertisements, targeting metropolitan and regional drivers. All licence holders are encouraged to brush up on the road rules before the new law comes into effect to help improve safety on South Australian roads.

The 25km/h speed limit will not apply to drivers if the stationary breakdown services vehicle is on the opposite side of the road they are travelling.