National charity launches at start of Decade of Action

From Brake, the road safety charity

National charity launches at start of Decade of Action

A national charity, Brake New Zealand, is being launched today calling on New Zealanders to take action to stop deaths and injuries on roads and reduce car-dependence.

The launch of Brake in New Zealand is being timed to coincide with the launch today of a global Decade of Action to end road crashes, spearheaded by the World Health Organisation and the United Nations.

New Zealand suffers a death on the road on average every day, and a higher death rate on roads than many other developed nations including the UK and Australia.

Brake believes that all New Zealanders, but particularly drivers, have a personal responsibility to do their bit to put an end to the tragedies by using roads less and more safely and that communities can make a real difference by campaigning for their right to safe streets that can be used without fear by everyone, particularly children, the disabled and the elderly.

Brake, which has been established in the UK for 16 years, encourages community campaign and education initiatives to stop road carnage and also provides support for people bereaved and injured in this appalling way. It also supports campaigns for regulation and enforcement to end the carnage.

Global Brake chief executive Mary Williams OBE said: "Road deaths and injuries are horrific and utterly shameful, given they can so easily and so often be prevented by drivers driving slow, sober, alert and less and in mechanically sound vehicles. New Zealand has shown a real and commendable commitment from the top to tackling road crashes through the development of its strategy Safer Journeys and the actions that will result from that strategy. Brake gives its support to this strategy and in line with the government believes the strategy also needs the full support of drivers who need to make a personal pledge to always put road safety first and be an ambassador for road safety within their families and communities. Road deaths and injuries are no accident."

Brake is calling on New Zealanders to show their support for Brake by going to the website www.brake.org.nz and clicking the join us button to sign up online for free as a Friend of Brake and be kept informed about how you can support the charity's work. The charity particularly wants to hear from people affected by road death and injury, safety campaigners, and companies and professionals promoting road safety in the workplace and their communities. The charity is in need of supporters who feel they could help by being voluntary spokespeople for the charity by running local education campaigns or by financially supporting the charity through fundraising efforts or donations to help the charity to grow and in particular enable the charity to develop more support services for people bereaved by road crashes.

People affected by road death and injury can go to the charity’s website www.brakeorg.nz and click the victim support button.

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