A coalition of leading academics, health professionals, and road safety experts from New Zealand and around the world have issued an urgent open letter to the Prime Minister and Minister of Transport, voicing serious concerns about the draft Speed Rule, which proposes widespread speed limit increases across many New Zealand roads.

The letter, co-authored by Dave Cliff, Chief Executive of the Global Road Safety Partnership, and Professor Simon Kingham of the University of Canterbury, and formerly The Ministry of Transport’s Chief Science Advisor, underscores the life-threatening consequences if these changes are implemented. The signatories warn that raising speed limits will lead to more fatalities and severe, life-altering injuries on New Zealand roads.

The letter emphasizes that increasing speed limits directly undermines New Zealand's commitments to several UN Resolutions and Political Declarations regarding road safety. Furthermore, raising speed limits is in direct conflict with the country's obligations to reduce transport-related emissions, as higher speeds contribute to increased fuel consumption and elevated CO2 and NO2 (Nitrogen Dioxide) emissions.

In addition to environmental and safety concerns, the letter challenges the government’s claim that higher speed limits will yield economic benefits. The signatories assert that this assertion is not only flawed but also unsupported by any credible evidence.

The implications for New Zealand’s health and rehabilitation services are equally troubling. With already overstretched healthcare resources, the increase in serious road crashes resulting from higher speed limits would place an even greater burden on medical professionals. Several trauma surgeons who endorsed the letter have expressed their deep concerns over the anticipated rise in road casualties.

The government is urged to maintain its commitment to evidence-based road safety policies that save lives. Abandoning these policies, the letter cautions, will put countless lives at risk and breach New Zealand’s international commitments to protect its citizens on the road.

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