'Falling Apart': Major SA Highways Given Lowest Possible Safety Rating

Critical sections of major South Australian highways have been assigned the lowest possible one-star safety rating, indicating a high risk of death and serious injury. The Australian Road Assessment Program (AusRAP) data, released publicly for the first time, identified parts of the Sturt Highway, which connects Sydney and Adelaide, as particularly hazardous.

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The Sturt Highway is an utter disgrace. It's actually falling apart.

This highway, along with the Goyder, Stott, and Mallee highways, received one-star ratings in sections traversing South Australia's Riverland. These ratings consider factors such as speed, traffic volume, road condition, roadside hazards, and lane width. The findings are unsurprising to experienced truck drivers like Gavin Knight, who has witnessed the deterioration of road conditions over nearly three decades.

Knight described the Sturt Highway as "an utter disgrace" and "actually falling apart." He specifically pointed to overtaking lanes as being insufficient and "dangerous" for road trains, leading to near misses and a rough ride that can shake vehicles. He believes extending some stretches to four lanes and improving the edges of highways like the Goyder is crucial, expressing surprise that more fatalities have not occurred.

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Sometimes it can be very dangerous. There's certain parts of the road, we actually have to get off the road because you just get shaken.

South Australia recorded 60 road deaths and 444 serious injuries in the first six months of 2026. Currently, only 55% of travel on the state's highways occurs on roads rated three stars or better, falling short of the national target of 80% by 2030. Road safety experts emphasize that these ratings provide a clear roadmap for prioritizing necessary infrastructure improvements.

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I'm surprised there haven't been more deaths yet.