Lower speed limits save lives: study

Fifteen lives have been saved and more than 200 casualties avoided by cutting speed limits on South Australian country roads more than 10 years ago, a new study has found.

South Australia's Centre for Automotive Safety Research has examined 20 years of crash data, which it says shows a 27.4 per cent cut in the number of casualty crashes where speed limits were reduced from 110km/h to 100km/h in 2003.

Research fellow Craig Kloeden says that the reduction in trauma is estimated to have saved 15 lives and about 230 casualties.

"Even small changes in speed can have big effects on safety," Mr Kloeden said.

South Australian Road Safety Minister Tony Piccolo says less trauma on the roads over the past decade has also saved the state an estimated $67 million in health and associated costs.

"We know that regardless of the cause of a crash, a reduction in speed significantly reduces its severity," Mr Piccolo says.