Road safety signs in Waikato won't improve safety

Candor Trust

Road safety signs in Waikato won't improve safety

Land Transport New Zealand (LTNZ) are right to be cautious about backing the Hamilton City Council plan to spend more than $100,000 on 40km/h signage around 50 Hamilton primary schools, say Candor.

The road safety trust says it will be an exercise in futility if Waikato Councils goes ahead to waste scarce resources on signs to reduce speed around all schools in the region. As it won't reduce their child toll one iota.

It's superstitious, kids just aren't getting hurt by speeders outside schools as the statistics make all too clear - it's just diversionary fluff, says Candor Trust's Ms Ford.

'We can not comprehend why the Council would have even considered such unwarranted expenditure - have they taken even 5 minutes to look at relevant statistics? The evidence is in - schools are not a risk area for children'

The rate paying Public needs to be cognizant of the great job parents, kids, school patrols and motorists are currently making so far as ensuring kids make it to and from school.

Of the 31 child road deaths in 2005 only 6 Nationwide were pedestrians or cyclists. Most pedestrians entering the toll are actually adults, truth be told. 'It just goes to show the population as a whole is exceedingly mindful of when kids are about'.

The percentage of young pedestrians killed on the road to die between 8-9am and 2:30-3:30 pm was only 14.4% between 2001 and 2005. Which is marginally higher than in non rush hours but not worryingly so.

Only 10% of pedestrians under 15 to be killed were killed within 250 m of school boundaries, according the the Ministry of Transport.

It needs to be considered that at most a child is killed walking in his or her school's vicinity during the rush hour only once in several years.

The vast majority of pedestrian child victims do not die or suffer their road trauma in transit to school or anywhere near their school.

And when they do suffer harm as pedestrians studies have shown that drink and drug driving are far more often to blame than excess speed when harm is severe.

Small numbers of child pedestrians and cyclists are hurt relative to child passengers. which in in light of these other facts really defeats the argument we've any need to obsess over speed limits near schools, except in rare cases.

'Really the statistics are telling us loud and clear that kids are most likely hurt at the hands of their own parents and care givers or busdrivers who will too often drive them about despite the fact they my be too drowsy, drunk or doped up to properly control a vehicle'.

If the Waikato Council has a real interest in child road safety they will build their approach upon the foundation of statistical evidence, and take a different approach to Aucklanders by tackling true areas of need.

More lives can be saved by redirecting that tagged money almost anywhere but into blanket school speed reduction signage. Auckland City Council today announced it would be implementing 40km/h school speed zones for the city following completion of a trial project. It appears schools with much fast paced traffic outside are to sensibly be the ones targeted.

'This may be a pro-active initiative if only to raise consciousness of road safety in some places where risk is potentially there even if never realised, but we see no need for regulation and signage for areas with an absolutely zero need'.

'It's no wonder Inspector Leo Tooman is derisive about the council plan, and says it will take a lot more than a road sign to make a difference.

Candor say Waikato Council would be best to invest that money it has tagged for the misguided project into addressing areas of need.

Into addressing the many hazards that are causing loss of life rather than just being dedicated followers of the 'speed' hysteria fashion.

'We believe this is what the LTNZ representatives are getting at in their edginess about Councils plan. The message is likely that Councils need to think outside of the square of the so called greatest enforceable risk of speed'.

In many areas it is far from being the greatest risk or the wisest one to be prioritising. And that is clearly the case with child road safety - kids do not die outside of schools but they do die en masse inside vehicles far from playgrounds.

ENDS

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