National Road Safety Week

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (14:54): My question is to the Minister for Road Safety. Can the minister update the council about National Road Safety Week and the fourth UN Global Road Safety Week?

The Hon. P. MALINAUSKAS (Minister for Police, Minister for Correctional Services, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Road Safety) (14:55): I thank the honourable member for his question. I know he is a member who has travelled the state extensively in various roles, including his previous one. His commitment to road safety, I think, should be acknowledged. This week is Road Safety Week in Australia. It is an opportunity to use the yellow ribbon to acknowledge Road Safety Week, and I note that, during the course of the week, there have been some members of the house who have worn a ribbon.

It is a week to remember those who have been killed or seriously injured on our roads while raising awareness and encouraging safe driving behaviours. In South Australia, we have made great progress over recent years regarding reductions in the number of serious injury and also fatality crashes. In 2016, last calendar year, South Australia recorded its lowest ever road toll with 86 fatalities; that was 16 fewer fatalities than in the year prior. I think the statistic is particularly worth noting in light of the fact that we still do see an increasing number of cars on the road, so to be able to achieve a reduction in the road toll to the extent that we have is no mean feat.

Our fatality rate was below the national average last year with 5.1 deaths per 100,000 of population, which is below the national average and, again, is significant considering the volume of roads and movements that many South Australians have to travel in the context of our rather dispersed population and vast distances across the state. We are on track this year to have a similar result. We have seen 29 fatalities on our roads so far this year compared to 30 at the same time last year.

However, while these statistics are encouraging, no fatality on our road must ever be seen as acceptable or inevitable. There is always more work to be done. Nationally, unfortunately, we have seen quite the opposite trend, with the national road toll over the past two years increasing. In 2016, 1,300 Australians were killed and over 35,000 were seriously injured on Australian roads. These figures are simply too high.

National Road Safety Week is an initiative of Safer Australian Roads and Highways (the SARAH foundation), a not-for-profit association formed as a result of the Hume Highway crash of 15 February 2012 that tragically took the life of Ms Sarah Frazer. This year, it coincides with the fourth UN Global Road Safety Week. The theme is speed management, with the Save Lives #SlowDown campaign being used by road safety authorities around the world to increase the understanding of the dangers of speed and generate action on measures to address speed. Each of us has a role to play in making our roads safer. If each of us take our time, watch our speed and drive responsibly, this will go a long way to ensuring that no more lives are destroyed as a result of road trauma.

Yesterday, the federal government announced that they will be undertaking new research into drug testing and mobile distraction, with the aim of improving understanding of the impact of these two factors on road safety. At a national meeting of road safety ministers that I attended in Perth towards the end of last year, it was widely acknowledged that both mobile distraction and drug driving are significant problems for every state and territory.

I understand, as part of this research, the federal government will be looking at opportunities to make drug testing regimes more effective and efficient. While I look forward to seeing the outcomes of this research, in South Australia we are moving forward with new laws to significantly strengthen drug driving penalties. I identified this as a serious problem last year and, since that time, our government has been working on new laws to crack down on those who choose to partake in this abhorrent behaviour. We will have more news on that as it comes to hand and, of course, we are moving the bill in due course.

I would like to acknowledge in that respect the ongoing support of the Hon. Dennis Hood, who I also know has been a strong advocate in doing more in regard to the issue of drug driving. I would like to acknowledge the work of SARAH and its president, Mr Peter Frazer, in raising awareness of road safety and improving behaviours on our roads. As a state government, we are proud to throw our support behind this important cause once again. If you are out and about enjoying the beautiful Adelaide Oval or Riverbank footbridge one night this week, you will notice that it is lit yellow in support of Yellow Ribbon National Road Safety Week.