A road safety strategy is aiming to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on road by 40 per cent by 2030.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has released the results of a comprehensive new survey of New Zealanders' attitudes to road safety issues and driver behaviour.
The Public attitudes to road safety - 2020 report details the results of responses provided by more than 3300 New Zealanders to a broad range of questions focussed on specific road safety topics, including attitudes to enforcement, speed, vehicle safety, impaired driving, distraction and driver fatigue, and personal safety.
The survey will be repeated, and the results published annually, as part of Waka Kotahi's work to deliver the Government's Road Safety Strategy, Road to Zero, which has a vision of a New Zealand where no-one is killed or seriously injured on NZ roads.
It sets a target of reducing the number of people killed or seriously injured on roads by 40 per cent (compared to 2018 levels) by 2030.
Reaching that target would mean reducing annual road deaths to 227 and serious injuries to 1680 by 2030.
In 2020, 318 people were killed and almost 2,500 seriously injured on New Zealand roads.
Waka Kotahi Senior Manager Road Safety, Fabian Marsh, says the data and insights from the 2020 report will help Waka Kotahi and other road safety partners in the planning and delivery of Road to Zero.
'The better we understand Kiwis' attitudes and behaviour around important road safety issues, the more effectively we can build public understanding and support for the changes we all need to make to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads.
'The target which Government has set for 2030 isn't abstract or arbitrary - if we can achieve it, it will mean approximately 750 fewer people will be killed and 5,600 fewer will be seriously injured on our roads over the next 10 years.
"These are real people in our communities, our workplaces and our families. Every New Zealander has a part to play in making our roads safer, through the choices we make and through the actions we take."
The survey found 15 per cent of respondents believe more than 200 deaths on NZ roads each year is acceptable.
Fabian says this demonstrates the opportunity to collectively change New Zealand's perception that the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads is an acceptable price to pay for our ability to get around.
'New Zealanders would be horrified if 318 people had died last year in a plane crash, or plane crashes. There are things we can do to change this situation on our roads.
'Everyone makes mistakes, but these mistakes shouldn't cost us our lives. Collectively, we have the power to create a safe system which allows for human error, so when mistakes happen, people aren't killed or seriously injured.
"And, of course, each of us has the individual responsibility to make the right decisions like buckling up, driving sober and at a safe speed, and following the road rules.”
The full Public attitudes to road safety - 2020 report is available at https://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/public-attitudes-to-road-safety
The Road to Zero strategy and action plan is available at www.transport.govt.nz/zero
4 comments
Tom Ranger
Posted on 08-03-2021 11:55 | By Tom Ranger
Huh? Fines don't solve the problem? Imagine that...FYI. There is a perception out there that the govt and police, have for along time now, placed revenue generation above saving lives. 1) Money 2) People How does handing a fine to someone whom can't afford to get work done on their car, help them get the work done? It doesn't. Should be a period of grace whereby..the fine money can be put towards the work that needed doing/licensing etc required. That helps to encourage solving the actual issue. But hey...who wants to do that? Dangerous speed is a separate issue and nothing will stop some. eg the 14 yo kid that just killed himself by driving off a cliff accidentally. Once someone believes they have no money/nothing much to lose. Fines etc are an ineffective deterrent..
200 deaths are OK?
Posted on 08-03-2021 12:19 | By morepork
I read the report and was surprised to see that 15% of people think 200 (or more) deaths is an acceptable cost for the ability to get around. (I guess it depends on who the 200 people are...But we don't get to pick them, and that is just as well) . It SHOULD be possible to get the road toll down and the report does highlight some positive progress with things like hand-held cellphones (no excuse for it...). Ultimately, it is down to every one of us to ensure that we don't add to the count...
Virtue signalling for no gain
Posted on 08-03-2021 13:43 | By Let's get real
There has been an enormous publicity campaign to raise the safety levels of every car on the road. In fact I have read that our government (who seem to work through instituting compulsory practices) have signalled that they/ratepayers might consider subsidising higher quality motor vehicles for those that can't afford them. What is never considered of course is that we have morons on two wheels out there that are being allowed onto those same roads with absolutely no protection requirements. The width of the road has been reduced to slow traffic movements and reduced again to allow for the installation of cycle lanes. We now have narrow road widths that are becoming unsuitable for large vehicles because of pedestrian refuges, cycle lanes, barriers and unmaintained surfaces all of which also cause the biggest hazard on the roads to wobble and behave erratically. But always look to blame motorists.
Tom Ranger
Posted on 08-03-2021 15:41 | By Tom Ranger
@Letsgetreal Govt subsidization is Corporate welfare. Ripe for corruption. These types of deals do provide very good jobs for the politicians responsible once they leave parliament tho. Lest we forget Goldman Sachs.
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