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South Australia’s half-year road fatalities in 2022 were the second lowest this century, latest state government figures show.
Tragically 39 people lost their lives in the first half of the year – however this is the least number since 2018 when 38 fatalities were recorded in the same six-month period.
It is also significantly fewer than the 52 lives lost during the first half of last year.
There has also been a discernible decrease in serious injuries recorded between January and June this year – 347 compared to 448 for the same period in 2021.
RAA Senior Manager of Safety and Infrastructure Charles Mountain said the reduction in road trauma was welcome.
“However, 39 lives lost is 39 too many.”
“We support the State Government’s road safety vision of zero lives lost on our roads by 2050, and the 10-year targets of at least a 50 per cent reduction in lives lost and at least a 30 per cent reduction in serious injuries per capita on SA roads.
“RAA believes that ongoing investment in both road maintenance, together with targeted upgrade of roads and intersections across the network, is critical to reducing the likelihood and severity of crashes.’’
Mr Mountain said the latest figures showed more than two thirds of lives lost on SA roads in the first half of this year were on regional roads.
“Single vehicle runoff road crash types continue to be the most common in the first half of 2022, accounting for 59 per cent of all lives lost on South Australian roads,’’ he said.
“This increases to 67 per cent of those lives lost on regional roads.’’
The figures also show all road user types have recorded fewer lives lost in 2022 than the five-year 2016-2020 average.
One in three lives lost in the first half of 2022 were people younger than 30, which is slightly above the five-year average.
However, seven people have lost their lives aged between 50 and 69 in the first half of this year, compared with 22 lives lost in this age group in the corresponding period last year.