Augusta Highway, Sturt Highway revealed as South Australia’s two most dangerous roads

New data has revealed the state’s most notorious roads – with the top two claiming almost 100 lives in the past five years. See SA’s 10 most perilous journeys and how to stay safe behind the wheel.

A notorious 200km stretch of highway in the state’s north has recorded almost 50 fatalities in the past five years, giving it the undesirable crown of SA’s most dangerous road.

The Augusta Highway – between Port Wakefield and Port Augusta – is the state’s most dangerous road based on SAPOL statistics, recording 44 fatalities in the past five years.

Second is the Sturt Highway, which links the Riverland to Adelaide, which has recorded 36 deaths between 2018 and 2022. Tragically, a further four people have lost their lives on the same highway so far this year, bringing the figure to 40 since 2018.

The Augusta Highway after a car and a truck collided head-on in a serious smash near Port Wakefield in 2018. The highway has had the most fatalities in the state in the past five years. Picture: AAP/Emma Brasier

Stretching south through the Limestone Coast from Tailem Bend to Mount Gambier via the Coorong, the Princes Highway ranks third on the list with 22 fatalities, followed by the Dukes Highway (Tailem Bend to Bordertown) with 19 deaths.

The Stuart Highway, which snakes north from Port Augusta to the Northern Territory border, comes in next with 18 lives lost, followed by the Riddoch Highway in the South-East with 17, Adelaide's Main North Road with 17, and popular regional main roads Port Wakefield Highway (16), Eyre Highway with (16), and Victor Harbor Road with (13).

Memorials left at the scene of a double fatal crash east of Truro on the Sturt Highway where two trucks collided in the middle of a dust storm in 2019. Picture: Tait Schmaal

With SA’s current road toll reaching concerning levels so far in 2023, Superintendent Bob Gray, the head of SAPOL’s traffic services branch, warned two-thirds of the deaths on SA’s roads so far this year had occurred in country locations.

“This is a concerning statistic and something that all drivers need to be aware of when travelling on regional and rural roads,” he said.

“Research suggests that many country residents mistakenly believe tourists and city people account for most deaths on regional roads.

“The statistics show that this is a misconception, and we are working hard to educate the community about the dangers of regional and rural driving and the importance of being vigilant on the road at all times, whether you’re a local or a visitor.”

Police at the scene of a serious two car crash just on the Sturt Highway at Gawler Belt in 2019. The highway, which links Adelaide to the Riverland, is rated the second most dangerous road in the state, having 40 fatal crashes since the start of 2018. Picture: Tracey Nearmy

The statistics revealed metropolitan Adelaide’s main roads have been the most common locations for serious injuries between 2018 and 2022.

Main North Road has had 172 serious injuries during that five-year period, followed by Main South Road with 130, North East Road with 106, the South Eastern Freeway with 86, Marion Road with 75, Sturt Highway with 70, Augusta Highway with 64, Port Wakefield Road with 51, Greenhill Road with 51, and Anzac Highway with 51.

Police and emergency workers at the scene of a fatal accident on the Dukes Highway near Coonalpyn in 2020. Picture: Emma Brasier/AAP