Sadly, it is a well publicised fact that South Australia has recorded a road death toll that is around 25 per cent higher than the past three-year average.

With the launch of  National Road Safety Week today, there is a simple thing motorists can do to help ensure they get home safely and there is a simple measure that the State Government should consider.

Road safety is not only about driver fatigue, distraction or speed – it’s also about making sure you are driving a safe vehicle. As the peak organisation representing the automotive industry, our members are servicing and repairing vehicles which should have been in their workshops years earlier.

Common defects include worn or balding tyres, malfunctioning brakes, steering problems, rust and mechanical issues. This is why regular servicing is critical.

For example, a recent Victorian Department of Transport report concluded that tyres and brakes which do not meet roadworthiness standards “can be the life and death difference between a motor vehicle hitting a pedestrian at a serious, but survivable 20 km/h, and hitting the same pedestrian at a fatal 40 km/h.”

Worse still, currently in South Australia where 75 per cent of second-hand vehicle sales occur primarily through social media platforms there are no protections to ensure privately sold used vehicles are roadworthy.

When you purchase from a licensed dealer, that dealer must ensure it is safe to drive. When you purchase privately, there are no obligations for it to be legally roadworthy.

Last year in South Australia, there were 151,000 private purchases of used cars, compared to 55,000 dealer used sales. Three out of four used cars sold last year therefore did not have to be legally roadworthy.

Buying a used car privately can seem like a great way to save money – especially when you see a deal that looks too good to be true. But in most cases this can be reality.

I have a personal experience of a private seller on Facebook Marketplace who tried to convince my son in purchasing a Nissan, which when inspected required over $6,000 worth of repairs and ultimately was unsafe to drive.

My son was fortunate his dad had some street smarts, but what upsets me is that some other 20-year-old may have bought the car and would be driving a vehicle that is potentially dangerous and might cost them a lot more than first suspected.

This is not an isolated incident and I have heard countless similar stories of mums, dads and young people who have been ripped off by dodgy private sellers preying on those who can least afford it.

Three out of four used cars sold last year therefore did not have to be legally roadworthy

The State Government’s Used Car Safety Ratings are a good first step but vehicles are being sold privately in South Australia with serious safety defects, finance owing or hidden damage without any consumer protections.

This is why the MTA is advocating for a Vehicle Inspection at the Change of Ownership Scheme.

Under the scheme, a registration transfer would not be possible unless the vehicle had a roadworthy certificate.

This would improve the safety of all vehicles on the road and lead to tangible safety outcomes. Where these initiatives exist internationally they demonstrate a fifth of cars on the road fail inspections, and South Australia is one of the last states and territories without such a scheme.

Everybody deserves the safest vehicle they can afford. A vehicle inspection scheme would go a long way to achieving this and provide motorists with the confidence that the used car they are purchasing is safe to drive.

Let’s keep those dearest to us safe on the roads.

Darrell Jacobs is CEO of the Motor Trade Association SA/NT