Hills drivers are being urged to drive to the conditions and “make responsible decisions” following the deaths of 73 people on SA roads this year, five of which occurred on Hills roads.
The number of lives lost on SA roads this year has already exceeded the total road toll of 2022, with police identifying distraction, dangerous driving, speed and alcohol or drug driving as the major contributors.
Inspector Michael Sampson, acting officer in charge for the Hills Fleurieu Local Service Area, said he had personally seen the impact that poor decision-making on country roads had on regional communities.
With more than three decades of experience as a police officer, Insp Sampson said road fatalities or injuries in a regional community had a massive ripple effect.
“There’s that initial impact, but then it spreads to those people who genuinely live in the community, so (the deceased or injured person’s) mum or dad, or, if they’re younger members, the school community,” he said.
“Then it reaches the wider family and some of those that live in the community ... the impact is quite large; it’s not just talking about the death of somebody on our roads.
“It can also be in the back of the mind for some of our patrols if they’re responding to a regional accident that they might actually know the individual.
“Poor decision making doesn’t just affect the people directly involved, it can affect a whole community.”
With two out of three road fatalities on country roads people that live in country areas, Insp Sampson said it was important that locals didn’t become complacent.
“There’s this notion (that) ‘I know the back roads, so I’ll be right’,” he said.
“But I think the statistics demonstrate that that’s not the case.
“There needs to be a mindset shift that driving on our roads can be dangerous ... and the reality is drivers need to refocus.”
Insp Sampson said he had attended more fatal and life-changing vehicle incidents than he “could count on (his) fingers”.
And while first responders were trained to go into “work mode”, the impact of the event could be far-reaching even if it wasn’t fatal.
“Sometimes you know the person that’s deceased in front of you, or at that stage might not be deceased but you can tell this person has had a life-changing event,” he said.
“That can be a life-changing event for families as well and for some people, serious injuries might mean spinal injuries, quadriplegia or needing permanent full time support.”
This year police have detected 2364 drivers under the influence of alcohol while driving and 2753 drivers under the influence of drugs while driving.
Over half of the deaths on SA roads have been on country roads and the majority of victims have been male.
