The faces behind the shattering impact of 100+ lives lost on our roads

With just hours to go our horror road death toll has reached 116. But they are so much more than just a number on a tragic tally. Here are their stories.

Eight of the 116 people killed on SA roads in 2023.

If the smiling photos and heartbreaking tributes of these faces were victims of a plane crash the stories of lives cut short would reverberate for years.

It is hard to look away from the fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and friends who are among the 116 (As of December 31, 2023) people to die on our roads this year.

It took the unfathomable death of the son of the Police Commissioner to wake the state from apathy.

The reflections of Grant Stevens and his wife Emma of the perfectly teenage boy room and beautiful life and generous spirit of their 18-year-old son Charlie gave a poignant window into their loving home, now shattered in a way which has torn at the hearts of every South Australian.

Scroll down to see all 100+ stories or read the November 22 digital print edition here.

The Stevens family’s public letter refers to their son as number 101, before making the powerful point he was more than a number in a tragic tally.

Their powerful words should be read in every high school.

The Advertiser has published the story of every person who has died this year in recognition that they also are more than a number.

Below, you will read about a father of six who went to get baby formula and never came home, a beloved father who was caring for a paralysed relative and a young woman whose worst nightmare was a road crash.

We must stop this routine carnage in our state.

“The truth is, they are not alone in their trauma,” Premier Peter Malinauskas said of the Stevens.

“Their situation is all too devastatingly common.

“When you’re behind the wheel, it only takes a moment of inattention to end a life, or change one forever. We must recognise the significance of the responsibility we bear.

“Enough is enough.”

NOTE: The lives lost number was adjusted by SAPOL in December after a crash at Moppa and a crash in Mount Barker were both deemed medical episodes. Charlie Stevens is now #99 in the 2023 tally.

Originally published as The faces behind the shattering impact of 100+ lives lost on our roads