Australian police force launches ‘shadow’ patrol cars
South Australia Police are splitting the difference between marked and unmarked patrol vehicles with a new fleet of ‘shadow’ cars.
Until now, there were two main types of police patrol cars, with most fleets typically operating marked and unmarked vehicles – aimed to either make their presence known or be able to hide in plain sight.
Now, South Australia has introduced a third type, announcing it is launching six shadow patrol cars in the state’s metropolitan and regional areas to try and slow down the road toll.
The six vehicles – consisting of a pair of Subaru Outbacks, Toyota Klugers and LandCruiser 300 Series – feature reflective, colour-matched police markings which are hard to see during the day, but can reflect at night when illuminated.
According to South Australia Police, this allows them to be “less easily identified from a distance”, giving officers a better chance of targeting motorists committing offences including alcohol and drug driving, speeding, inattentive driving, and dangerous driving.
“These vehicles are about road safety and giving police another capability to detect dangerous driving before it results in tragedy,” said South Australian Commissioner of Police, Grant Stevens.
“With 61 lives already lost on South Australian roads this year, we cannot afford complacency. Every fatality represents a person who did not make it home and families whose lives have been changed forever.
“They will also have a deterrence effect. If people know police may be on the road in vehicles that are not immediately obvious from a distance, they may think twice before speeding, driving affected by alcohol or drugs, using their phone, or taking risks behind the wheel.”
Their deployment follows the death of 61 road users in South Australia between January 1 and July 2, 2026.
Of these deaths, drink driving was a factor in 10 per cent, drug driving was a factor in 21 per cent, and dangerous road users or behaviours represented 36 per cent of lives lost.
