One hundred and one people killed on South Australian roads this year

IT IS the milestone that police and road safety campaigners prayed we would never see again — more than 100 people killed on South Australian roads in a single year.

The tragic crash scene at Clovelly Park on Thursday night. Picture: Mitch Mott

IT is the milestone police and road safety campaigners prayed we would never see again — 101 people killed on South Australian roads in a single year.

The death of a teenage driver in a high-speed crash at Clovelly Park on Thursday took the number of people killed on our roads in 2017 to 100, after last year’s record-low toll of 86. That toll sadly jumped to 101 late last night when a woman died from injuries sustained in a crash north of Adelaide last week.

The 66-year-old woman from Williamstown was seriously injured when the car she was a passenger in crashed into a tree at Kalbeeba at about 5.45pm on Thursday, December 21.

The Morphett Vale teenager, 19, died instantly when his silver Toyota Camry slammed into a large gum tree at the T-junction of Newton Ave and Beverley St about 8.45pm Thursday.

Residents said the man had driven up Newton Ave at high speed several times and sounded his horn moments before the fatal impact.

There were no signs of braking or swerving and Major Crash investigators are still trying to determine if the crash was an accident or suicide, in which case the man’s death will be removed from the toll.

RAA road safety senior manager Charles Mountain said while the fatality toll had again risen, the number of serious road crashes had continued to decrease in 2017.

“We must continue to look at what steps to reduce the number of crashes and mitigate the severity of crashes when they do occur,” he said. Mr Mountain said safer vehicles, improvements to the road network by eliminating so-called black spots and improved driver behaviour were needed to reduce the 2018 toll.

“It does highlight that there is no one thing that will make a difference, all these factors will play a part and hopefully we will see a continued and sustained reduction in the road toll,” he said.

Mr Mountain said the holiday period was often a treacherous period.

“We’ve got people travelling around in some cases long distances, so it’s even more important people drive to the conditions and their own abilities as well,” he said.

SA has recorded fewer than 100 road deaths just four times since records began in 1970 — 99 in 2008, 94 in 2012, 97 in 2013 and 86 last year.