SA’s worst speeding hot spots revealed

New figures reveal which areas are topping up the state budget the fastest. See the worst hoon hotspots and most profitable cameras.

Thousands of reckless motorists a year are being caught driving at least 30km/h above the speed limit, creating a “disastrous” hazard on the state’s major highways and suburban roads.

Alarming examples of hoon driving over the past two financial years include one person being clocked at 185km/h on Portrush Rd, Toorak Gardens, where the speed limit is only 60km/h.

The Hills and Fleurieu police district was among the worst in the state for extreme speeding, recording 1162 drivers at 30km/h above the limit across the past two years.

Northern Expressway point-to-point speed cameras. Picture: Roger Wyman

The RAA has studied police speeding figures for 2019/20 and 2020/21, with nearly 10,000 hoons caught at extreme speeds across the state. The offences resulted in combined fines of about $14m.

RAA road safety expert Matt Vertudaches said driving at more than 30km/h above the speed limit was never accidental, and reaching 185km/h on a suburban main road was mind-blowingly dangerous.

“At that speed, all it takes is for the smallest problem to happen and it could be disastrous,’’ he said.

“There would be no chance of survival if a crash occurred, and the operators would have no control over the situation if there is an outside element like a cyclist or pedestrian emerged in front of them.”

Mr Vertudaches said poor road conditions in parts of the Hills and Fleurieu district were also cause for concern.

“The Hills and Fleurieu are a very challenging spot for road hazards,” he said.

“You have narrow winding roads with sharp cornering, trees beside the roads, steep embankments, and many situations where you can end up with disastrous consequences.

“By exceeding the speed limit over 30km/h you are significantly increasing the existing risks.

“Many of the roads in the Hills and Fleurieu are ones which we get the most complaints about from our members, both about driving conditions and bad driver/rider behaviour.”

Other extreme cases included a driver travelling at 191km/h in a 110km/h zone on the Northern Expressway, at Waterloo Corner.

Adelaide’s north was the worst district for extreme speeding, recording nearly 1800 offences over the two-year period.

Mr Vertudaches said hoon drivers put many lives at risk, including innocent bystanders.

“In perspective, this could be 80-plus km/h in a very confined suburban 50km/h zone, where you have kids, animals and any sort of problem causing an accident very quickly,’’ he said.

New laws activated on August 29 allow authorities to immediately suspend or disqualify motorists suspected of dangerous driving offences.

The maximum penalty for the new extreme speeding offence is three years’ imprisonment, with a mandatory minimum two-year licence disqualification for the first offence

Repeat offenders will lose their licence for five years.