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Drivers are being reminded to take care on our roads as thousands of school students return to class today, amid a horror year for cyclist and pedestrian crashes in South Australia.
Already this year 14 pedestrians and six cyclists have lost their lives on SA roads – up from just eight and three respectively for the whole of 2022.
RAA Senior Traffic Engineer Matt Vertudaches urged drivers and riders to show extra care this week as more than 280,000 students returned to school.
“South Australian roads will be busier this week, especially during the morning and afternoon peak periods,” Mr Vertudaches said.
“Children are our most vulnerable road users, and South Aussies should be aware there will now be more of them out and about, especially in school zones.
“Road users should also be aware that we’re having we are having an alarming year on our roads across the state, especially when it comes to cyclists and pedestrians.
“There has been a sharp rise in the number of fatal crashes involving cyclists and pedestrians, which should serve as a stark reminder for us all to ask ourselves if we’re giving the road our full attention when we’re travelling on it.
“It’s also a good idea to leave a few minutes earlier than you usually would if travelling at peak times, as peak travel times on key corridors can increase by up to 40% due to the increased traffic levels during school terms.”
More than a third of casualty crashes involving cyclists or pedestrians under the age of 18 occur on weekdays between 8am – 9am and 3pm – 4pm, according to RAA analysis of DIT data.
Mr Vertudaches said walkers who noticed a footpath or pedestrian crossing that could be improved should take RAA and Walking SA’s Risky Walks survey, which is open now.
“We’ve launched our Risky Walks survey to help us identify pedestrian concerns such as paths with uneven surfaces, no footpaths at all and discontinued or unconnected paths and obstructions.
“Respondents can also identify broader issues, including inadequate crossings, sharing paths with other road users, and environment together with surrounding issues including traffic fumes and paths too close to traffic.
“Respondents will simply need to drop a pin on locations they wish to nominate as unsatisfactory before choosing their reason.”
South Australians can take the Risky Walks survey at raa.com.au/riskywalks.