SA authorities urge road-users to be vigilant following motobikers deaths

ABC NEWS (Australia)

South Australian authorities are urging all road users to be extra vigilant following a string of fatal crashes involving motorbike riders. Since Christmas, four motorcyclists have been killed in separate incidents across the state with the latest crash resulting in a driver being charged with dangerous driving.

Transcript

00:00Another tragic accident on SA's roads just one week into the new year.

00:09This is the aftermath of a horrific crash which claimed the life of a 58-year-old man.

00:15This is just another reminder with the second road fatality in the first week of the new year

00:21that we need to be extra vigilant on our roads and it's incumbent on all road users to drive as safely

00:26or use the roads as safely as possible.

00:28Police say a car travelling on South Road crashed through a fence and into the path of the motorbike.

00:34They've since charged a 44-year-old man with causing death by dangerous driving.

00:40It's the latest in a spate of crashes involving motorcyclists

00:44after three riders were killed within days of one another in late December.

00:50We have a dedicated media campaign that is targeting motorcycle riders

00:54to ensure that they understand the risks associated with this

00:58which is often a recreational activity for some people, not simply commuting.

01:01The RAA says over the last five years, motorcyclists have been involved in around 20% of the lives lost on roads.

01:10They only represent 3.5% of the number of registered vehicles on our roads

01:15so that highlights the big disparity and the vulnerability of them as well.

01:19Last month new safety measures came into effect in South Australia

01:23which doubled the amount of training motorcyclists must undertake to obtain a licence.

01:28But police say it's still too early to tell whether those changes will increase road safety.

01:33We'll have to wait and see what the impact of that enhanced training provides

01:37in terms of elevating people's capability and understanding of safe road use on motorcycles.

01:43Obviously it's a point of ongoing concern

01:47and it's something that we need to think seriously about as we go into 2025

01:51about what we can collectively do to try and address this long-standing issue.

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