The Government proposed a road safety plan called the Road to Zero this week. It aims to prevent 750 deaths and 5,600 serious injuries on New Zealand roads over the next 10 years.
377 people were killed on New Zealand roads last year, a number far too high. The new strategy adopts the principal that no one should be killed or seriously injured on our roads.
The Ministry of Transport is seeking feedback upon the announcement of the Road to Zero, which aims for a balanced approach to making our roads safer over the next decade. It proposes to:
- Increase investment in road safety infrastructure
(like median barriers, roundabouts and safe cycling options) - Invest more in driver training and education
- Make it easier for local government to review speed limits
- Improve the safety of vehicles entering the fleet
- Include a new focus on work-related road safety
- Prioritise road policing to tackle high risk behaviours
- Improve the safety of footpaths and cycleways
The Road to Zero is based on ‘Vision Zero’ – a global movement that has seen significant decreases in road trauma in many parts of the world including Sweden, Canada, and parts of Australia and the UK, as well as major cities like New York and London.
Associate Transport Minister Julie Anne Genter said the Road to Zero sets a target of reducing annual deaths and serious injuries by 40 percent by 2030.
“Most roads deaths and serious injuries are preventable and too many New Zealanders have lost their lives or been seriously injured in crashes that could have been prevented by road safety upgrades” she said. “We do not expect to eliminate road deaths overnight but we can, over time, improve our roads so that simple mistakes do not result in devastating consequences”.
Chair of our Road Safety Committee, Councillor Julia Mclean said the Hurunui’s Road Safety Committee already operates under the mandate that no road death is acceptable.
“We will continue working hard to identify the risk in our district” she said. “It’s imperative that the community can always bring issues to us, as we are the vehicle for implementing this sort of change locally. Here’s hoping the new plan empowers local committees to address road safety issues from the bottom up.”
Consultation on the Road to Zero is running for four weeks from yesterday (17/07/2019) and closes on 14 August.
To access a summary of the plan or make a submission:
www.transport.govt.nz/zero
For questions about the consultation process:
Email roadsafetystrategy@transport.govt.nz
To read about common road risks myths:
