ROAD SAFETY

Mrs GERAGHTY (Torrens) (17:03): My question is to the Minister for Road Safety. Can the minister please inform the house how the government is ensuring the safety of our children near our schools?

Mrs REDMOND: Point of order, Mr Speaker.

The SPEAKER: Point of order, member for Heysen.

Mrs REDMOND: Speaker Lewis has already ruled that the use of the term 'please' in asking a question of a minister is unparliamentary.

The SPEAKER: Yes, and of course Speaker Lewis's precedents—

Mr Venning: Of blessed memory.

The SPEAKER: —of blessed memory—are to be held in the utmost reverence, and so I would caution backbenchers not to beseech the ministry.

Mrs GERAGHTY: Sir, I would use the defence of the former member for Chaffey who said she teaches her children to be polite to set an example, and that is what I was doing.

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Road Safety.

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Finance, Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (17:04): I thank the member for Torrens for this well-articulated question. Members may be aware that South Australia's Road Safety Strategy 2020 highlights the need to expand the use of the safety camera network at school pedestrian crossings to reduce incidences of crashes, serious injuries and the fatalities of pedestrians. Pedestrian injury is a leading cause of child injury death in Australia. Every week, a child pedestrian is killed, and schoolchildren are most at risk. Pedestrian injuries account for one in five injury deaths for 4 to 14 year olds.

Currently, 110 fixed safety cameras are in operation across South Australia; six of these are red light and speed cameras that are located adjacent to school pedestrian crossings. Three additional school pedestrian crossing safety cameras are currently being installed through the road safety school pedestrian crossing safety camera program announced in the 2013-14 state budget. These are Goodwood Road, near Goodwood Primary School; Seacombe Road, near Seaview and Darlington Primary Schools; and Portrush Road, near Linden Park Primary.

School sites are selected for safety camera programs using crash and road usage statistics as well as site suitability, which is governed by site geometry, road alignment and the presence of obstructions. A further seven cameras will be installed over the next three years. The seven additional sites to be constructed from 2014 are Main North Road, near Nailsworth Primary; Diagonal Road, near Warradale Primary; Hancock Road, near St Agnes Primary; Marion Road, near Hamilton Secondary College; Bains Road, near Antonio Catholic School; Lyndoch Road, near Immanuel Lutheran College; and St Bernard's Road, near the middle school campus of Norwood Morialta High School.

It is the government's view, and I am sure it is that of the opposition as well, that this initiative will make a significant contribution to improving the road safety environment for the young South Australians attending these primary and secondary schools. It will also provide a greater sense of security for the parents of the schoolchildren attending these schools.