50% more drug crash deaths on a decade ago
Candor Trust
 
In 2006 Annette King introduced the Governments much awaited drug driving bill saying she was concerned about the risks of drug-driving, and that the message is now “Stay sober and drug-free, drive safely, and you won’t endanger yourself or anyone else.”
 
Promises were made that day to make driving while impaired by drugs a crime by 2008 - but the Minister has no threads. Sadly since she issued her seemingly genuine platitudes in 2006, the drug driving message was surrealistically removed from Police and LTNZ communications - apparently by decree of the shady N.R.S.C. groups advisors.
 
And drink driving damage (bad enough on the real statistics) has been relentlessly misrepresented - as truly alcohol triggered crashes have reduced ,the Ministry has taken to inclusion of low blood alcohol and "not to blame" cases with other causes in the alcohol bag. 
 
Police statistics released to Candor Trust under the Official Information Act show that in the last recorded year (June 2006 - July 2007), 59 pot drivers died (27% of 219 dead drivers tested). Constituting a 50% rise in numbers dying on roads under the influence of cannabis, on a decade ago. An ESR report dated 1998 showed that only 40 drivers were typically killed after cannabis use, yearly then.
 
With drunk driver deaths now slashed from the horrendous number of 162 souls in 1989 down to a low of 35 drivers dying while over alcohol limits (strong correlation to causality unlike at low BACs) in the last recorded year (June 2006 - July 2007), it is clear Government needs to smell the changing cannabis culture. And to realise that deceptive ploys and unnecessary exaggerations of alcohols role in tolls (Dominion Post today) do not serve the serious cause of providing quality and most effective education, well. 
 
There is now bulk evidence, not available to lawmakers in 1998, that it is an even higher risk to drive soon after smoking cannabis than while at very high blood alcohol levels. And that extremely low alcohol levels (perhaps reflecting fatigue) and cannabis mixed together cause epidemic road death. That science is clearly reflected in the makeup of New Zealand's road toll. Breathalysers if set at 0.05 can make no dent in this new face of DUI
 
Our road tolls new makeup and workings seem to have been misread by Andy Knackstedt of NZTA, who yesterday made rather off colour and off topic media comment about drink driving issues, midst provision of much higher grade info regarding distracted driving.
 
He'd characteristically based his soundbytes on the lowest grade DUI data source available (Crash Analysis System) and traditional numbers from LTNZ hypnotist shows - such as that drink drivers are the teens. The facts say that vice and it's harm is concentrated in older male drivers, while the teens prefer to dope up instead.  
 
The stalling of Land Transport Amendment Bill Number 4, which was supposed to have criminalised drug impaired driving, is making the Government an accessory to literally dozens of preventable and costly homicides each year - while it tries to curry favour for it's least powerful tool in the retinue of a drop to a 0.05 limit.
 
Government is misrepresenting the situation in saying that drunk drive deaths are increasing over the last 3 years. No causal link is well correlated with low blood alcohol but they seem to be classing all deaths with a drop of alcohol involved as causal. That is extraordinary, diversionary and flies in the face of modern attribution studies.
 
"It is hard to think of a greater form of depravity than that of coveting new revenue streams over the passing of desperately needed road safety laws," says Candor Spokeswoman Rachael Ford. Members have become concerned lately about stagnant drug driving progress, and the apparent blanket disinterest of all parties in reviving road safety. 
 
The brick wall campaign of major issue denial by Labour, Police, ACC and road safety co-ordinators who're required to only trot out education approved by co-pilots in Washington is untenable - if NZ's new 3rd world road injury targets are to be met and the country is to dodge villiage idiot statu for allowing its' roadusers to be pimped as the control group forsuccessful programs.
 
"If only they could give their PR firms half the budget showered on pushing for the new non criminal 0.05 chequebook point tax - to talk about the thicker end of the wedge, to air the forbidden topic of skyrocketing high local drugged driving risks".
 
Candor maintains that passing important laws to save children and communities from harm will never be "uncool," even in a country where telly potsmokers have sex symbol status and many celebrities seem to favour harder drugs - voters can understand necessity.
 
It is time we started busting people for drug driving as Americans do with their celebs, only by the demonstration of a seriousness about the issue can major change come. Why is the State so secretive about whether it is youth or special cultural groups dying this way? Which groups lives if any are they seeing as expendable is the question.
 
Fudging on delivering promised humanitarian laws, dangled like oases before victims, while pursuing a policy of withholding critical safety related information, suggests the Jaws theme would not be a wholly inappropriate signature song for some of the massacre minimisers, in the House. 

Ends
 

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