Today, Thursday 19 December, South Australia Police announced a new approach to the language used for the road toll.
At a press conference, Superintendent Bob Gray, Officer in Charge of the Traffic Services Branch, and Minister for Police Corey Wingard, announced that South Australia Police will be using “lives lost” when talking about road fatalities.
Previously the term “road toll” has been used, but given the horror year on our roads, the Commissioner of Police Grant Stevens has decided a strong change of language is needed.
At the public announcement, Superintendent Bob Gray said he was committed to implementing the change.
“This new approach better highlights the very real human loss we’re seeing on our roads,” he said.
“As many people have seen, or experienced first-hand, these roads deaths impact so many people in our community; friends, family, partners, and colleagues.
“The use of ‘lives lost’ better represents the individuals who have died on our roads, and shows that these were real lives rather than just a number.”
Minister for Police Corey Wingard said it has been a particularly shocking year on South Australian roads.
“More than 100 people have lost their lives on South Australian roads this year, these are people who won’t be spending Christmas with their families and loved ones,” he said.
“As we head into the holiday period, I want to issue a personal plea to South Australia: please stay safe, don’t make stupid choices, don’t rush and don’t become distracted. Think about the people you’ll leave behind.”
South Australia Police have also asked local media to adopt this language change in their road safety reporting.
From Wednesday 1 January 2020, SAPOL will officially be replacing “road toll” with “lives lost” across all platforms, including in media releases, press conferences, interviews and digital media.
