Horror death pushes state to grim milestone
The death of a motorcyclist in another horrific road crash is pushing one state to a bleak road toll milestone.
South Australia is inching towards 100 deaths for the year following a crash on Sunday night about 8.15pm between a Mazda sedan and a Kawasaki motorcycle at Elizabeth in Adelaide’s north.
The rider, a 45-year-old Evanston Park man, died at the scene.
His death marks the 97th fatality on South Australian roads this year compared with 61 for the same period in 2022.
The Philip Highway and surrounding roads were closed for several hours while major crash investigators examined the scene, but all roads have now been reopened.
The driver, a 29-year-old man from Elizabeth Park, was not injured but was taken to the Lyell McEwin Hospital as a precaution.
He has been arrested and charged with aggravated driving without due care and driving while disqualified.
He was refused bail and will appear in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court on Monday.
Speaking in August, South Australia Police Traffic Services Branch Superintendent Darren Fielke said the dramatic figures should serve as a “serious reality check” for the community.
“The ripple effect of road trauma, whether it be life lost or a serious injury, should not be lost on anyone,” he said.
“Wake up and grow up.”
Superintendent Fielke said it was difficult to pinpoint why 2023 was proving so deadly.
“It’s selfishness, it’s immaturity, it’s complacency,” he said.
“It’s a whole combination of things.”
