Safer roads and roadsides play a significant role in either preventing crashes or minimising the trauma associated with casualty crashes. Major road infrastructure initiatives and ongoing maintenance projects incorporate safety improvements that reflect research evidence and best design principles.

Alongside these improvements, assessment of the crash potential of high risk sites on our roads and periodic safety audits of existing roads identify deficiencies and help establish priorities for upgrading roads. New technologies are continually considered in the context of developing safe and responsive traffic management. These initiatives will provide better standards of safety and protection and result in changes to existing design and a decrease in the trauma caused to people involved in crashes.

The processes of installing, upgrading and managing effective traffic control systems ensure that traffic moves safely and efficiently. With well designed and properly placed markings, signs and signals, traffic movement is controlled and drivers have the information they need to help them travel safely on our roads.

Issues

The most common cause of fatal and serious injury crashes in South Australia is that of hitting a fixed object, be it a tree, stobie pole or other fixture. But without trees our travel landscape would be bleak; and stobie poles give access to essential services. So many fixtures are there to stay and are in close proximity to roads, in Adelaide, country towns and in rural areas.

Evidence shows that shoulder sealing can reduce crash risk by up to 40%. Continuing work on road shoulders is a high priority across South Australia as is planned responses to Black Spot reports. The results of investing in initiatives for safer roads is manifest in the steady decrease in fatalities and injuries on our roads.