Bordertown teenager Izzy Hancock killed in Carew crash

A teenager killed on the road in the state’s south east has been named as motoring experts appeal for a new push to stop the tragedies.

The tragic death of a young driver in the state’s southeast takes the number of P-platers killed on our roads in 2022 to 10 – the highest number in many years.

The figure has already eclipsed the six P-plater deaths in 2021 and 2020 and eight in 2019, and is the largest number for this time of year in a least a decade.

Izzy Hancock, 18, died in a single-vehicle crash at Carew, near Bordertown, on Friday night.

Her death comes just days after 17-year-old Atem Kuany was killed when the car he was a passenger in crashed at Edinburgh Airforce Base on Tuesday night. The 16-year-old unlicensed driver of that vehicle has been charged with several offences, including aggravated cause death and leaving the scene of a serious crash.

Police Minister Joe Szakacs said young people were consistently over-represented in both road fatalities and crashes causing injury.

Izzy Hancock. Picture: Supplied

Atem Kuany. Picture: Instagram

“I feel terribly sad for the family and friends of the young person involved in this horrific incident,” Mr Szakacs said in reference to Miss Hancock.

“A single life lost on our roads is too many. Tragically, we continue to see an over-representation of young people in fatalities and road trauma.”

Mr Szakacs said the deaths of young drivers highlighted the need to “reinforce the role the ‘Fatal Five’ play in road trauma – distraction, drink and drug-driving, speeding, seatbelts and dangerous road users”.

“We must continue to be vigilant and committed towards educating young South Australians on their L and P-plates,” he said.

Mr Szakacs said education was the most important part of lowering the number of young road deaths.

“Road safety and lowering the state’s road toll starts with education at school, and through specialist programs such as the MFS Road Awareness Program, SAPOL and RAA’s Street Smart High,” he said.

It’s an opinion seconded by Charles Mountain, senior manager of safety infrastructure with the RAA.

Mr Mountain said P-plate drivers, by their very nature, had limited experience.

“They’re coming off their L-plates and moving through the process of gaining that critical experience to become a fully-licensed driver, so it is really important during these periods when they’re starting to drive by themselves that they know how to drive to the conditions,” he said.

“They also need to understand that driving is a lifelong skill – it’s not something that we ever stop learning. Our driving career will always continue to present challenges, so it’s really important that we get the basic skills bedded down early on.”

Mr Mountain said a particularly severe winter – with many rainy and windy days – added to dangers for young drivers.

“If you’re not aware of how that can impact on your driving then that can have very unfortunate consequences,” he said.

Mr Mountain said he believed that the conditions currently placed on young drivers were good ones, and that he’d rather see more education than tighter restrictions.

“The scheme they have introduced is really a very good scheme, and the restrictions –particularly on P-plate 1 drivers that are around reducing their exposure to certain conditions and times of day where they might be more at risk of having an accident – are really well structured,” he said.

“But it’s also important that we don’t ever become complacent. We need to ensure people are driving the safest cars they possibly can, that they’re driving to the conditions and that there’s continuing investment in the road network so that if a driver does make a mistake, the road doesn’t contribute to the severity of that accident.”

Bordertown teenager Izzy Hancock killed in Carew crash

By Kitty Barr

Saturday was supposed to be a day of celebration for Bordertown teenager Izzy Hancock. She was supposed to turn 19.

Instead, her family and friends were left devastated after discovering the former Bordertown and Naracoorte high school student died in a single vehicle accident on a quiet road 30km west of Bordertown on Friday night.

Supplied Editorial Izzy Hancock Picture: Facebook

Her workmate Lilly Potter, 21, said she had only known Ms Hancock for only a short time but the two had a strong bond and she was an “overall beautiful” person.

Ms Potter said Ms Hancock had helped her settle into Bordertown after she had moved from Mt Gambier to work on a dairy farm in the area.

“Over time she had the trust in me to tell me a lot about herself and what she’d been through,” she said “We just found a connection through that because we have been through such similar situations in life and we found comfort with each other.

Ms Potter said she felt like she had known Ms Hancock “forever”.

“She was so lovely, she went out of her way to make you smile … she was overall beautiful.”

Ms Potter said the pair shared a laugh in the office at work on Friday night and they had planned to do something to celebrate Ms Hancock’s birthday on Saturday.

“We were just laughing over stupid things and it was fun. She was fun.” she said.

“I went home and I went to bed thinking ‘yep, I’ll give her a wake up call for her birthday’ and now I can’t anymore.”

Another friend, Tori Markaela, said she’d “forever cherish” her memories of Ms Hancock.

“I’m going to miss your dorkyness and that contagious laugh of yours that lit up the room,” she wrote on social media.

“Waking up to find out you’d passed honestly broke me so bad. It’s definitely gonna be hard now knowing you’re gone and I can’t message or call you when things get tough.

“I miss you so much already, happy heavenly birthday.”

Other people also paid tribute to Ms Hancock on Facebook.

“Izzy you were a happy, smiling young lady who always saw the good in people and so caring for others,” one said. “Will miss our talks love and miss you beautiful girl. Thinking of Tony and family. Izzy will always be remembered.”

Other comments included “rip beautiful girl, I’m gonna miss you so much. fly high” and “R.i.p beautiful lady, you will be surely missed. My daughter looked up to you so much sending love to your whole family as well.”

Emergency services were called to Cannawigara Road, Carew, about 8.20pm on Friday night after reports of a single-vehicle crash.

The car had left the road and hit with a tree.

Cannawigara Road was closed for several hours as Major Crash investigators attended the scene but the road has since reopened.

Ms Hancock’s death is the 54th life lost on SA roads this year compared with 68 at the same time last year.