Following the death of two women at Ceduna over the weekend, and a dramatic close call in the main street of Cleve in the early hours of Saturday morning, SA Police has announced it will direct more policing efforts to the Eyre and Western local service area based in Whyalla.

“Many more people are dying on our country roads than in the city,” an Eyre and Western Region police spokesman said.

“To date, 69 people have died on South Australian roads compared to 70 at the same time last year. Forty-eight of these 69 deaths have occurred on rural roads compared to 42 of the 70 at the same time last year.”

Statistics show that 295 of the 573 serious crashes in the first half of 2010 have occurred on rural roads – more than 50 per cent. As a result, a new traffic model will be trialled to improve the response to road safety and reduce the incidence of fatal and serious crashes on rural roads.

The new model will see a number of additional traffic policing positions being established within the country, including the Eyre and Western local service area, servicing the region from Whyalla to Port Lincoln and Ceduna.

“The new model is about reducing the unacceptable road toll by significantly increasing police numbers and resources in additional areas,” the spokesman said.

Following the accident, metropolitan road safety groups have lashed out at the news that metropolitan police resources will be diverted to the country.

However, Brvt Sgt Leanne Marsh said the Cleve Road Safety Group welcomed the new measures which would boost policing abilities in South Australia’s largest service region.