South Australia has launched a new safety strategy aimed at cutting the state’s alarming road toll … and that could mean lower speed limits.
The government is to consider applying a limit of 100km/h on about 50 country roads which currently have a 110km/h limit. It is estimated this could potentially save 11 lives a year. Other options under consideration are the application of an 80km/h limit on unsealed country roads, and the default 50km/h limit on more suburban roads.
The final say on what measures are to be implemented will rest with a new ministerial taskforce to include the road safety minister and the SA premier.
The chairman of SA’s Road Safety Advisory Council, Eric Neal, said that despite significant reductions in the state’s road toll over the past decade, there was still much more that could be done.
“Each one of us must play our part in preventing road crashes,” he told the ABC. “By accepting that people make mistakes, we can encourage solutions that can dramatically reduce the risk if a crash occurs.”
The government’s stated intention is to reduce road deaths in SA by 30 per cent by 2020, which would bring the annual toll to under 80.
The state’s Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond says the government also needs to look at the $200 million road maintenance backlog.
“South Australians expect the government to look after our roads,” she said.
