LOCAL police have urged drivers to think hard about their choices behind the wheel in the aftermath of a shocking week on local roads which saw three people die.
A 63-year-old Semaphore Park woman will face court in September following the crash on the Sturt Highway, near Job Road, at Shea-Oak Log at around 10.35am last Wednesday.
Emergency services rushed to the scene of the serious crash, where a Mitsubishi SUV had collided with a parked truck which was unoccupied at the time.
A two-year-old Grange girl, who was a passenger in the car, died at the scene.
The driver, a 63-year-old Semaphore Park woman, and another passenger, a six-year-old Grange girl both suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospital.
Their injuries were not considered life threatening.
On Thursday the driver, believed to be the deceased girl’s grandmother, was arrested and charged with causing death by dangerous driving and causing injury by dangerous driving.
Barossa Local Service Area officer in charge Chief Inspector Shane Addison said the Sturt Highway has been a hotspot for both major and minor vehicle accidents, but said dangerous driving is to blame, not the road.
“At the time this (Wednesday’s crash) occurred, driving conditions were perfect on a wide, open and straight road in good condition,” he said.
“Yet we still had a fatal collision and I think what that reflects is that there’s no moment you cannot expend all of your concentration on driving your car.
“All of the incidents we’re seeing down that stretch of road are (due to) driver behaviour.”
The toddler’s death was the 53rd on South Australian roads so far this year, with the road toll reaching 65 at the same time last year.
Wednesday’s fatal accident was followed by another two incidents at Edinburgh and Waterloo Corner which both resulted in fatalities.
A 31-year-old Brahma Lodge woman died when she was involved in a head-on collision on Heaslip Road on Friday night, while a 21-year-old Munno Para West man was killed after his ute left the road on Port Wakefied Road.
Mr Addison said inattentive and dangerous driving can easily lead to major crashes and laid the responsibility on road users to take better care while behind the wheel.
“The things that concern me continually are the number of drink and drug drivers and speeding drivers we’re still detecting in the area,” he said.
“The other thing that is of real concern to me is the number of really high speeds that have been detected. We continually detect people at excessively high speeds on the roads.
“Other road users aren’t expecting people to be travelling at those sorts of speeds, they don’t anticipate those sorts of speeds and that can lead to tragic consequences.”
In relation to the Shea-Oak Log crash, Major Crash Investigators are looking to speak with anyone who may have seen a light, rigid tyre repair truck stopped on the northern side of the Sturt Highway between 10.30am and 10.45am last Wednesday morning.
Anyone who may have captured the truck on their car’s dashcam is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Two dead in separate fatal collisions
A MAN and a woman have had their lives cut short after they died in separate crashes on local roads over the weekend.
A horror week on the Gawler region’s roads, which began with a crash which killed a two-year-old girl last Wednesday, has resulted in three road deaths in five days.
On Friday night, a 31-year-old Braham Lodge woman was killed after the Kia sedan she was driving collided head on with a Holden sedan at Edinburgh.
Just after 6pm, emergency services were called to the crash on Heaslip Road, where the victim died at the scene.
The driver of the Holden sedan, a 21-year-old Angle Vale woman, sustained serious, but not life-threatening, injuries and was taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Heaslip Road was closed for several hours on Friday night as Major Crash Investigators examined the scene.
Two days later on Sunday afternoon, a 21-year-old Munno Para West man died after his black Toyota Hilux ute left the road and rolled over on Port Wakefield Road, Waterloo Corner.
Emergency services attended the accident just after 4.30pm and rushed the man to hospital with life threatening injuries, where he later died.
Northbound lanes on Port Wakefield Road were closed for several hours following the accident as investigators attended the scene.
Police are urging anyone who saw the black Toyota Hilux prior to the crash to contact crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report on line at www.crimestopperssa.com.au.
The woman’s death on Friday night was the 54th and the man’s passing on Sunday afternoon was the 56th life lost on South Australian roads this year, compared to 65 at the same time in 2019.