Image credit: Department of Infrastructure and Transport SA
South Australia has recorded the deadliest start to 2026 on the roads of any Australian state on a per capita basis, with new figures showing the state is already falling behind its long-term road safety goals.
RAA’s quarterly crash data analysis reveals 32 people lost their lives and 226 were seriously injured on South Australian roads between January and March this year. That works out to 1.7 lives lost per 100,000 people, placing SA above every other state and behind only the Northern Territory nationally.
The confronting figures come amid a sharp rise in crashes involving motorcyclists and younger road users, two groups now driving some of the most alarming trends in the state’s road toll.
Seven motorcyclists were killed in the first three months of 2026, a figure 46 per cent higher than the five-year average. Young adults were also heavily represented, with eight people aged between 20 and 29 losing their lives, sitting 90 per cent above the average.
March proved especially devastating, with 19 lives lost in a single month. According to RAA, that made it the deadliest month on South Australian roads in more than a decade.
RAA Senior Manager Road Safety and Infrastructure Charles Mountain said the scale of the road trauma was heartbreaking.
“It has been a tragic start to the year on SA roads,” Mr Mountain said.
“Every life lost on our roads represents a family torn apart, and this is happening far too often across the country.
“March was a particularly devastating month with 19 lives lost – the deadliest month on SA roads in more than a decade.
“We’ve now seen 10 motorcyclist deaths so far this year which is a community tragedy, particularly given that three of these occurred across the Easter long weekend.”
The latest numbers also raise serious concerns about whether South Australia can meet the targets laid out in its 10-year Road Safety Strategy to 2031. That strategy aims to cut lives lost by at least 50 per cent and serious injuries by at least 30 per cent, which would mean reducing the annual toll to fewer than 43 deaths and 474 serious injuries by 2031.
With 32 lives already lost and 226 serious injuries recorded in just the first quarter of the year, the state is already well off the pace needed to get there.
Mr Mountain said the trend was particularly troubling given modern vehicles are safer than ever.
“The rate of serious crashes has been rising in the last 5-6 years despite vehicles getting significantly safer, which is alarming and shows just how much more needs to be done to get the message across to road users,” Mr Mountain said.
“Regional roads continue to be overrepresented, accounting for 59% of lives lost so far this year.
“We’re urging drivers, riders and pedestrians alike not to be complacent when sharing the road.
“Please remember the Fatal 5 causes of road trauma: distraction, speeding, seatbelts, drugs or alcohol and dangerous behaviour.”
For more information on road safety, visit https://www.thinkroadsafety.sa.gov.au/
