Wellington road toll moves in right direction

Media Release From Greater Wellington Regional Council

Fewer people are dying on roads in the Wellington region and Fran Wilde, Chair of the Regional Transport Committee, is urging people to keep it that way.

“The sad reality is that nine people died in road crashes in the Wellington region last year. However, it was the second lowest toll of all regions (the West Coast recorded seven deaths) for 2010. It’s certainly our lowest toll since 1980 and could well be our lowest on record.”

The first table attached shows the toll has decreased steadily with the only aberration being in the years 1986-1990. A contributing factor then could have been the open road speed limit which increased from 80kph to 100kph in 1985.

“For New Zealand as a whole, the 1981-85 average was about 680 deaths and the 2006-10 average was about 387. That’s a reduction of 43%, compared to a 62% decrease for the Wellington region over the same period.”

Fran Wilde says there are many reasons why the road toll should be generally decreasing. “Obviously we have better roads than we did 20 or 30 years ago, accident and emergency care and technology has improved and most of us are driving better engineered cars. However, in the Wellington region a very significant factor seems to be the reduced speed limits in many danger spots including Centennial Highway north of Pukerua Bay, parts of Akatarawa Road, Lambton Quay and part of Grays Road near Pauatahanui.”

She also commended the combined work of all the agencies involved in road safety planning in the Wellington region. “Clearly, the process by which engineers, police and educators identify problem areas and create solutions, is working very well. I urge all involved to keep up the good work.

“The region’s low road toll is encouraging, but we still have a lot of work to do to reduce the number of crashes occurring in the first place. The vast majority are preventable. If you are on the road – driving, riding, or walking – you have a responsibility to yourself and others to travel as safely as you can. This means no drinking and driving, no driving when you’re tired, and travelling at safe speeds."

ENDS

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