sa motor
From left: RAA Automotive Trainers Dominic McCracken and Nathan Walsh with RAA General Manager of Automotive Services Dorothy Nycz and RAA CEO Nick Reade.
RAA ready to tow
The first of a new fleet of yellow RAA tow trucks has hit the road, helping many of the 43,000 RAA members who need their car towed each year.
RAA will roll out a total of eight tow trucks within the next year to help stranded RAA members across metropolitan Adelaide.
The new trucks will bolster the fleet of contractors, who have been relied upon solely to meet RAA’s towing requirements.
RAA General Manager of Automotive Services Dorothy Nycz says the new fleet of RAA tow trucks will reduce wait times for members.
“Last financial year, we arranged a tow for more than 43,000 drivers whose vehicles couldn’t be fixed at the roadside in the metro area,” Dorothy says.
“No one wants to be waiting at the roadside for longer than they need to, so we’ve been looking at how we can potentially improve wait times, particularly on those busy days.
“The new dedicated tow fleet is at the ready to help us get to broken-down vehicles across metropolitan Adelaide as quickly as possible for our members.”
About 16 per cent of the more than 260,000 breakdowns RAA attends in metro Adelaide need a tow because the vehicle can’t be fixed roadside.
The purpose-built tow trucks can tow vehicles weighing up to four tonnes, as well as trailers attached to the vehicle, and motorcycles.
Stuck on the side of the road? RAA Road Service can help. Visit raa.com.au/road-service for more information.
SA road in focus
In each edition of sa move, we shine the spotlight on a South Australian road.
Length
Casualty crashes
Minor injuries
Serious injuries
Fatalities
The road: Anzac Highway
Why it’s a focus
Anzac Highway, known as Bay Road until 1923, runs from West Terrace to Glenelg and passes through five councils, including the City of Unley, City of West Torrens and City of Holdfast Bay.
The main arterial road between the CBD and Glenelg is also a popular cycling corridor, with one in six casualty crashes between 2019 and 2023 involving a cyclist. A poor cyclist crash record contributed to the road being named SA’s riskiest ride by cyclists in the 2020 RAA Risky Rides survey.
Crash history (2019–2023)
Almost 60 per cent of fatal and serious injury crashes along Anzac Highway involved vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists or motorcyclists.
Rear-end crashes were the most common, accounting for 40 per cent of casualty crashes. Right-turn and right-angle crashes made up 28 per cent of casualty crashes.
There were more than 100 casualty crashes at intersections, with 16 each occurring at South Road, Greenhill Road and Marion Road. While the South Road and Anzac Highway intersection topped the list, this is at the Gallipoli Underpass where there are two intersections.
Anzac Highway has fewer right-turn and right-angle crashes than many other Adelaide arterial roads. This could be due to most right turns occurring at intersections with traffic lights. In many locations along Anzac Highway, drivers are unable to turn right onto smaller streets. Instead, they must do a U-turn and then double back to the side street.
Planned upgrades
There are several upgrades planned along Anzac Highway in the next few years as part of the project to remove tram level crossings from Marion Road, Cross Road and Morphett Road.
Upgrades have begun at the Marion Road and Anzac Highway intersection. A second right-turn lane will be installed from Marion Road for motorists turning on to Anzac Highway.
There will also be a second left turning lane installed with dedicated traffic lights for motorists turning left from Anzac Highway onto Marion Road. Other upgrades include new traffic signals, LED road lighting, line marking, drainage, asphalt, kerbs and gutters.
Several upgrades will be made at the Anzac Highway and Morphett Road intersection in early 2025. A second right-hand turn lane will be installed from Morphett Road onto Anzac Highway. A second through lane will be installed for Morphett Road traffic travelling northbound, allowing two dedicated right turn lanes.
The left turning lane for motorists turning left from Anzac Highway onto Morphett Road will also be extended. Other upgrades include new and upgraded traffic signals, LED road lighting, line marking, drainage, asphalt, kerb and gutters.
Funding up for grabs for car clubs
Round three of the State Government’s $2 million four-year SA Car Club Program is open for applications.
The grants program, which aims to fuel expansion plans for South Australian car and motorcycle clubs, has already provided $1 million in funding to 128 clubs in the past two years.
Successful recipients from the second round of the program include the Gawler Veteran Vintage and Classic Vehicles Club. The club received a $100,000 grant to help construct a new clubroom. The club’s new home will include a library, workshop, storage areas, a barbecue space, kitchenette and meeting room.
The Sporting Club of SA received funding to host a commemorative event in 2025 for the 90th anniversary of the Old Crocks Run, which begins at Victoria Park in the CBD and concludes at Wigley Reserve, Glenelg.
Additionally, the Mitsubishi 4WD Club SA has launched an event tailored for the club’s female members. The twice-yearly Female Friendly Four-Wheel Drive Fun Day features training sessions led by a qualified instructor.
More than 200 motoring clubs are based in South Australia and there are almost 46,000 vehicles registered under various schemes, including historic cars, individually constructed vehicles, left-hand drives and street rods.
Applications for round three of the SA Car Club Program close on Friday, 13 December, with successful applicants announced in 2025.
For more information, visit dit.sa.gov.au/about-us/grants-and-funding
Rare number plate fetches eye-watering record at auction
The iconic South Australian number plate ‘8’ sold for a record $2.3 million at auction in September. Auction records were smashed after a bidding war between eager car enthusiasts.
Eight, considered the luckiest numeral in Chinese culture, was one of the first numbers used when numeric plates were first issued in South Australia in 1906. The plate was put up for auction in late August with bidding starting at $600,000, and on 16 September it sold for a record $2,300,100.
This far exceeded the previous record of $593,000 set in 2020 when the plate ‘1’ commemorating the Adelaide Formula 1 Grand Prix was auctioned.
A total of 28 plates were up for grabs, with more than $4 million raised from the auction. Revenue will be returned to the Department for Infrastructure and Transport to fund roadworks across the state.
IMAGES: EzyReg; Getty; RAA/Michael Lockheart.
