I have now attended ten ‘Meet the Candidate’ meetings as the Ohariu Electorate Candidate for a newly formed centrist political party called Protect & Prosper New Zealand (www.ppnz.org.nz).

At the electorate meetings held in Wadestown, Khandallah, Ngaio and Johnsonville the audiences at the meetings have asked plenty of intelligent questions about the current CRISES of Health, Cost of Living, Law & Order, Housing and Climate. However, not one member of the public has asked questions about the current ‘Road Safety Crisis’.

To a Road Safety Campaigner having set up New Zealand’s first Drowsy Driving Educational Campaign in 2005 (‘AKILLA’), this is very concerning.

New Zealand has spent billions on the ‘Road to 0’ campaign (2020 – 2030) with budgets of a billion dollars each year. The campaign has the aspiration to reduce the Road Toll and serious crashes by 40% and in time bring the Road Toll to 0.

Yet the Road Toll in the first two years of the campaign (2020 – 2022) has not gone down but in-fact increased by 16% and for this year trending upwards.

Furthermore, this is at a time when there was Covid with less vehicles on the road, and when road tolls are trending down around the World due to improved car design (crush zones, side impact protection systems, airbags, improved access to hospitals with the use of helicopters (in the first hour), improved ICU nursing care and medicines etc)

Road Safety is therefore in an absolute crisis.

I support the practical component of building more ‘median barriers’ and ‘side barriers’ but this has not been delivered. There has been an abysmal delivery. Namely;

• Median Barriers – Supposed to be 300km of median barriers by the end of 2023, yet only built 37km (12%) have been built to date. They had planned to build 100km/yr of median barriers.
• Side Barriers – Supposed to be 566km of side barriers by the end of 2023, yet only 169km (29%) have been built to date.

While they are fluffing around with their current campaign, there is a total absence on what they should be doing. Including, Driver Fatigue/Drowsy Driving education on such important warning signs as ‘micro-sleeping’ on the roads and ‘inattention /distractions’ . This is appalling. Both inattention and driver fatigue/drowsy driving are two of the biggest killers on the roads.

The authorities need to stop ‘pussyfooting; around and get on with saving lives and preventing trauma, pain and suffering on the roads. Not to mention the massive social and economic cost to the country.

What they need to do is look closely at what successful road safety organisations do overseas rather than make up their own approach (that does not work).

New Zealand has 3 x the death rate (based upon deaths per 100,000 in population) than the safest countries in Scandanavia.

Last year 320 people died on the roads with 3,500 serious injuries (with thousands more lives impacted and changed forever) costing the country over $5 Billion in social costs.

Rather than just focusing on the Greatest Enforceable Risks (GER) of Speed and Alcohol (crash causes), the authorities need to focus on the greatest real risks starting with Inattention and Distraction. Furthermore, Drugged driving, Alcohol, Driver Fatigue/Drowsy Driving. (as crash causes).

The Government transport organisations need to adopt a balanced approach and educate the public about ALL crash causes rather than just speed and alcohol.

There needs to be an end to the political interference, an end to ‘enforcement only’ road safety and end to the excuses as lives are being lost.

Authored by Martin Jenkins, Ohariu Electorate candidate, representing Protect & Prosper New Zealand. Founder – AKILLA Drowsy Driving Educational Campaign (www.akilla.co.nz ). E: akilla4@outlook.com

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