Young Kiwi road safety advocates from Kaitiaki o Ara - SADD are devastated at the level of deaths on New Zealand's roads for the 2022/23 holiday period and throughout 2022.

This Christmas/New Year has seen the highest number of road deaths in years with 21 people dying in crashes.

While for the 2022 year, 377 people (provisional data) lost their lives, the highest number since 2018.

According to SADD, in the 1980's NZ averaged 750 people dying on our roads per year.

That figure slowly started to reduce as drink-driving became less acceptable, roads improved, and cars became safer.

That approach was supported by better enforcement and prevention initiatives along with improved education activities.

That high annual figure significantly decreased and by 2011 the recorded figure of deaths on our roads was 284 where it more or less remained until 2013.

From then on, it started to steadily increase to where we are today with 377 deaths in 2022.2

Kaitiaki o Ara - SADD (Students Against Dangerous Driving) general manager Donna Govorko wants to know what can be done about "this worrying trend around?"

"Those who died are not just numbers, they are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters, aunties, uncles, cousins, friends or co-workers. They were all members of our community," says Donna.

"Over the years there have been wins in road safety, so when you see these numbers we have to ask why are people still not getting the message, or worse, hearing the message but ignoring it?

"Most crashes are preventable. Yes, we can make improvements to our roads, make cars safer, have more enforcement, but ultimately what will produce faster results is road users' behaviours. If we look at it this way, there are choices we make when we use the roads."

We can choose to:

Put on our seat belts Stick to the speed limit Drive to the conditions Drive sober Follow the conditions of our driver licence Take rests and not drive fatigued Avoid distractions Take professional driving lessons to become a safer driver

"None of these choices are complicated. They are simple in their nature but can have the most positive of outcomes - and that is they can save lives."

But according to Donna it doesn't stop there and there are a raft of potentially fatal common mistakes drivers make, including:

Not taking time at intersections Waiting until there is a safe space to move into Failing to indicate Overtaking when it is unsafe or in an unsafe manner Unsafe merging

She adds that drivers can easily make a difference and save lives by reminding themselves of a few basic road rules:

Before you pass:

Make sure you will be able to see at least 100 metres of clear road for the whole time you are passing - if not, don't pass Look well ahead to make sure there are no vehicles coming towards you Look behind and check your blind spot to make sure there are no vehicles passing you Signal right for at least three seconds before moving out to pass.

Before pulling in front of a vehicle you have passed:

Make sure you can see the vehicle in your rear-view mirror - check your blind spot again Signal left for at least three seconds 3

Our road culture

Donna believes New Zealand still has a "she'll be right" approach and this unfortunately tends to carry over to our driving culture.

"People think they are better drivers than they actually are. They may be a good driver until the time they face a situation they are not expecting, have pushed themselves too far and don't actually have the skills or the mental and physical capability to safely deal with the situation. This especially applies if under the influence of drugs and alcohol or prescription medication.

"How many times have you been following someone and you see them swerve and you have had to adjust to allow for their mistake? A mistake or a choice? There is a good chance they are either intoxicated, or distracted."

She says another contributing feature is ‘YOLO' (You Only Live Once) a philosophy that, sadly, many young people live to.

"The belief is that because you only live once, you need to live life to the fullest, even when that means embracing behavioural choices that carry an inherent risk. This can have adverse effects when carrying this belief onto our roads. It doesn't just impact the individual, it often has fatal consequences for them and for other passengers and road users. They probably had no say in the decision making."

So, what can we do to change this negative road safety culture?

"Firstly, let's acknowledge all the people out there that are good citizens and who do the right thing. Thank you. Road safety starts with you. But to see things change we all need to make the decision to be a safe road user.

"Follow the road rules - they are there for a reason. Acknowledge that there are other people, families, loved ones on our roads and choose to make safer choices to keep us all safe and make a commitment that we all deserve to make it home safely, and get closer to our ‘Road to Zero' 4 goals. Share in the vision where everyone, whether they're walking, cycling, driving, motorcycling or taking public transport, can get to where they're going safely.

"Start your road safety culture at home, parents can ensure their teenagers are getting professional driving lessons to set them up to be safer drivers, ensure they are abiding by the conditions of their licence and talk and take actions to be safe drivers. We need to start challenging people about their unsafe choices on the road whilst encouraging safer choices. Let's change the culture around driving - let that be our collective 2023 New Year resolution.

"And if you see dangerous driving call 111, or report unsafe driving to *555."

Throughout 2023, SADD will continue to raise awareness and educate not only rangatahi/youth but all our communities to choose safer road user behaviours through continuing to help create a positive road safety culture. SADD's aim is to draw a line in the sand and start a downward trend - one where we all save lives and reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads.