Why are we doing this?
"Most nights we'll all gather down at the beach and do our thing - drink, play loud music and smoke dope - then at some point we'll decide to race between here and the Mount... the record is 5 minutes, I can do it in 6. We'll sometimes speed up to the lighthouse... we'll drive as close to possible to each other as fast as we can up to the car park."
- Male 19, Port MacDonnell
Country South Australians make up 30% of the population, yet we account for 60% of people killed in road crashes.
There were 592 people killed or seriously injured in rural crashes in South Australia last year – 216 were aged 16 to 29 years.
Over 60% of these young people were males. In a serious crash, young males are usually at fault.
Sobering statistics aren't they?
Even more sobering is the fact that many of these deaths are caused when our mates turn into idiots on the road.
But what if we had the power to prevent that? It’s true that in the country we have to spend more time behind the wheel, we travel greater distances at higher speeds and we drive on more challenging roads. That’s just where we live and where we drive. And we can’ t change that.
But we can change how people drive.
So when our mates turn into people who speed, or don't wear a seatbelt or drink and drive, just tell them they're acting like a real 
Deaths & Serious Injury
Hidden Road Toll
Of course when someone dies on the road, it's a tragedy and we all understand the grief and impact that a single death can have on so many lives forever.
There were 118 tragic deaths last year - but there were also 7,875 casualties. That's about 20 a day! Many involved serious injuries, altering lives of victims and causing lifelong suffering not only for them, but the people around them.
When we make poor decisions behind the wheel we're not just risking death, we're risking disability, brain injury, painful recovery and at around one crash an hour, your chances of it happening are a lot higher than you probably thought.
The Main Killers - Speed
"You speed when you can get away with it, and the roads out here are good enough that you can safely go much faster than the limit. The NT had the right idea with no speed limits on country roads, they should have that everywhere."
- Male 49, Port Augusta
Rural roads often appear safe, but the Police accident reports tell another story. High speeds can lead to a loss of control. At high speeds an unfortunate event, or someone else's error, can lead to severe consequences.
Research has shown that the chances of a crash and the severity of the crash increase with every kilometre increase in speed.
The Main Killers - Drink
"There's no buses out here or trains so you can't do that. Taxi's are too expensive.
You can't call your mum, she'd just tell you to drive home yourself anyway."
- Male 46, Mount Gambier
Almost 40% of the drivers killed on rural roads are over the legal limit.
Last year of the 20 drink drivers killed in South Australia, 15 were in rural crashed.
The likelihood of a crash is double at .05 and four times at .08.
The Main Killers - Drugs
"Pot helps me deal with stress better. So, if anything, it makes me a better driver
because I'm less tense while I'm driving."
- Female 19, Port MacDonnell
The most common things you hear are "dope makes me more cautious" or "speed makes me alert". But with 20% of those killed each year having illicit drugs in their system, it clearly has an impact.
Last year there were 9 drug drivers killed on rural roads compared with 6 on metropolitan roads.
The Main Killers - Seatbelts
"It's a small town and no one is travelling far, so most people don't bother with a seatbelt."
- Male 38, Port Lincoln
If you don't wear a seatbelt you are 10 times more likely to be killed in a crash. Not only that, you have a significantly greater chance of being seriously injured.
Approximately 40% of vehicle occupants killed in rural crashes were not wearing a seatbelt. This compares to 27% on metropolitan roads.
The Main Killers - Fatigue
"I've had to drive from here to New South Wales in a day once for work, and I do that every year when the shearing season starts up there. I'll do it in one trip, but I'll need to drop a couple of no doze to do it."
- Male 19, Port MacDonnell
Driving for long periods without a break has some similar effects on your bodyas alcohol - loss of coordination, slower reaction time and decrease in concentration.
It's estimated to be a factor in around 30% of fatal crashes and up to 15% of serious injuries.
*Deaths per causality crash.
