South Australia begins 3D ‘dragon teeth’ trial in bid to increase road safety

One state is trialling the unusual road markings that use an optical illusion to encourage drivers to slow down in high-traffic zones.

Strange-looking three-dimensional road markings have appeared in South Australia as part of a safety trial amid the country’s worst road deaths crisis in decades.

The triangular, blue and white markings are a variation of ‘dragon teeth’ and signal the transition into a lower-speed zone of 40 km/h.

The road markings being trialled in Adelaide are part of a study led by the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Automotive Safety Research.

The dragon teeth are part of a study conducted by the University of Adelaide. Picture: Supplied

“The trial is funded by the Commonwealth through a grant program that is specifically aimed at finding or identifying potential new solutions and new treatments that can improve road safety in Australia,” research associate at the Centre for Automotive Research Dr Mario Mongiardini told NewsWire.

The markings, also known as treatments, are designed to play off an optical illusion that makes drivers think they’re going faster than they are, based on decreasing triangle size.

“As drivers see the size reduce, hopefully, they will also intuitively think they should reduce their speed.

“In combination with this, the spacing of these triangles is also reduced gradually as you travel past the markings.

“It’s not that much reduction, but it’s enough to make you feel that you are actually driving a bit faster.”

The markings signal a change to a lower speed zone of 40km/h. Picture: Nine News

They have been installed at Magill Road, Magill, and Seaview Road, Henley Beach, areas intentionally selected for their zones of high pedestrian activity.

A Facebook post announcing the markings received mixed reception from social media users with some describing it as “fantastic idea and well over due,” while others slammed it as a “waste of taxpayers’ money” and questioned why the government didn’t “just paint the speed limit on the road.”

While painted speed limits are allowed on roads in NSW, they are currently not part of the standard pavement markings allowed in South Australia, Dr Mongiardini said.

“I think it’s a good idea to combine both and to have a speed limit sign painted just upstream of the treatment or at the very beginning, and then the three dimensional dragon teeth to reinforce the meaning that drivers are transiting to an area where the speed limit and the environment is changing ahead,” he said.

“While we can’t currently do that in South Australia, it’s on the table.”

In NSW and Victoria, dragon teeth markings are already used on high-risk roads, including near school zones.

The trial comes as Australia recorded 1318 deaths on Australian roads last year, marking a surging national road toll for the fourth consecutive year – the first time this has occurred in over six decades.

Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that more than three people died and more than 100 others suffered serious injuries on Australian roads every day in 2024.

Originally published as South Australia begins 3D ‘dragon teeth’ trial in bid to increase road safety