"Controversial" new road safety ads will be produced in a bid to curb the number of people dying on South Australia's roads, after two motorcyclists were killed yesterday amid a horror start to the year.
A 23-year-old man and 66-year-old man died in separate crashes, one in suburban Adelaide and the other on the state's upper Eyre Peninsula.
Police have repeatedly pleaded with drivers to take care, and are also appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage as they investigate a third crash overnight involving three cars that left one driver with serious injuries.
There have been 28 deaths on the state's roads this year — a figure that includes five motorbike riders — compared to 12 at the same time last year.
The 23-year-old from Para Hills died after his motorbike crashed into several stationary cars stopped at a traffic light on Port Road at Thebarton.
Emergency services were called to the intersection of James Congdon Drive and Port Road and the young man was rushed to Royal Adelaide Hospital in a critical condition, but died a short time later.
"The witness accounts that have come out about that fatality have been shocking and tragic," Police Minister Joe Szakacs said.
"My absolute sincere and heartfelt condolences go to the family of the victim of this tragedy, but this was a preventable death."
Despite graphic and confronting ads in recent years — including the "Selfish Prick" campaign aimed at reckless drivers — Mr Szakacs said the government would be stepping up efforts to "hammer home" the message.
"Young people, regional drivers and motorcyclists are over-represented in fatalities so we will be spending more money in the coming months to target those drivers," he said.
"We'll be producing some, in my view, controversial ads to target those drivers.
"We have to hammer home that people that make bad decisions on our roads, make poor decisions on our roads, and drive erratically and dangerously, there's every chance that you will kill yourself, kill someone else."
Late yesterday, police confirmed another rider had died, on the Eyre Highway at Corunna Station near Iron Knob, when his motorbike crashed with a ute at about 2:30pm.
"Sadly, the motorcyclist, a 66-year-old Barmera man, died at the scene," police said.
The driver of the ute, a 31-year-old Ceduna man, sustained minor injuries and was treated at the Whyalla Hospital.
Last night, a driver was rushed to hospital after what police described as a "three-car rear-ender" at Mawson Lakes in Adelaide's north.
Five people in one car escaped injury but the 52-year-old man driving the rear vehicle was rushed to the Lyell McEwin Hospital in a serious condition.
The 25-year-old woman driver of the other car was also taken to hospital with minor injuries.
