A CONCERNING spike in fatal crashes means South Australia is failing to meet its target to save lives and significantly reduce the road toll by 2020.
The report into the target strategy, published by Australian Automotive Association, showed South Australia’s rate of fatalities last financial year was significantly above the national average.
On top of that, across the nation, regional roads had some of the worst statistics, with 705 deaths on those roads since 2017.
The goal of a 30pc reduction in deaths on regional roads by 2020 has already blown out with the current figure 179 deaths over the target.
RAA senior road safety manager Charles Mountain said 2019 in particular had been horrendous, with crash deaths surging rather than falling.
“The 2018 calendar year road toll was a record low, but more than 60 tragic crash deaths so far this calendar year has reversed this positive trend and devastated the lives of many families” Mr Mountain said.
The numbers are staggering in an era where cars are now safer than ever.
The percentage of vehicles sold with a five star ANCAP safety rating 10 years ago was 58pc.
That figure had significantly improved with the percentage now at 91pc.
Barry Maney Hyundai car sales consultant Jamie Spadotto said most people would no longer accept anything less than a five-star rating.
“Cars are safer than ever, you have more airbags, there are things like lane departure warnings and automatic braking in some vehicles,” Mr Spadotto said.
“Manufacturers are on the front foot with safety for sure.”
However, he conceded many consumers were not overly interested in finding out about the safety features of the car when looking to buy a new vehicle.
“It’s different for every situation, but I would say for the most part safety is not one of the main things people are looking for, they do tend to ask about technology and those aspects before safety,” Mr Spadotto said.
“However, even if they are not looking at the safety features, they are still in almost all cases getting that five-star ANCAP safety rating.”
With the ongoing evolution of car safety, Mr Mountain said recommendations have been made to the Federal Government, which included a rapid uptake of proven vehicle safety technology.
“South Australia needs to act now to stop the carnage on our roads, so we’re calling on the Federal Government to adopt all 12 recommendations in the 2018 National Road Safety Strategy Inquiry,” Mr Mountain said.
“We welcome the Federal Government’s creation of a national Office of Road Safety, but we need real financial commitments, including $3b a year towards a road safety fund.
“We want to see a dramatic reduction in the state’s road toll and will continue to work with all levels of government to cut road deaths and injuries.”
