Faulty truck could have caused SA deaths

South Australia's top traffic policeman says the actions of officers who diverted an out-of-control truck at a packed intersection almost certainly saved lives.

The truck was travelling at about 70 km/h as it approached the intersection at the bottom of Adelaide's South Eastern Freeway on Tuesday afternoon.

Two officers travelling in the other direction saw smoke coming from the truck's wheels and quickly contacted traffic management so lights at the intersection could be turned green.

The truck, which was carrying heavy mining equipment, was escorted through the intersection by police and was able to stop safely shortly afterwards.

Superintendent Bob Fauser, who leads the SA Police Traffic Support Branch, says the extraordinary work of the officers prevented a terrible tragedy.

"You're talking about...77 tonnes of weight travelling at 70km/h," he told reporters on Wednesday.

"If it had entered that intersection with vehicles travelling through it, I have little doubt that there would have been fatalities as a result.

"The force that would have been behind that truck would have completely shattered a vehicle."

Police allege the truck had oil in its air tanks, causing its brakes to malfunction.

The 32-year-old Victorian truck driver was reported for driving without due care and regulatory offences.

Supt Fauser said police would pursue any legal options available against the trucking company, and made no apologies for enforcing safety standards in the industry.

Two people were killed at the intersection in August when a sewage truck travelling at high speed slammed into three stationary cars, leading the government to introduce new speed limits for the area.