God save young drivers from Labour
Candor Trust

Candor Trust condemns Phil Goffs plan to stop people fleeing Police as non evidence based dangerous lunacy, his bullet pointed plan is psycho ward babble, indistinguishable from the ignorant rambling expressed by National around the issue.

Co-ordinator Rachael Ford says Goff is going for a Gold Medal in stoking the road toll and even more innocent people will suffer. Clearly his intent is to divert from the need for a Royal Commission of Inquiry to how Labour made NZ Polices road safety program an ineffective 2nd world model.

Toughening up existing provisions in the law such as mandatory licence suspension and impoundment of a vehicle on a first offence is simply heaping fuel to the fire as it was the toughening up represented by the boy racer legislation and fear of car loss that triggered the 400% rise oin Police pursuits since 2002.

Making failure to stop to a qualifying offence under sections 128 and 129 of the Sentencing act 2002 undermines the recommendations of global experts and of the Independent Police Conduct authority to reconsider pursuits around trivial offences and unproven suspicions eg chase because they ran and no other reason, by making flight non trivial and pursuit therefore self justifying in all cases.

Making a new law that introduces new offences with serious terms of imprisonment as a penalty, similar to one about to be passed in New South Wales is complete twaddle. Is Goff so out of touch as to not even realise this law has already been passed in NSW and has been a spectacular failure.

The first person charged and to face a 3 year jail sentence (higher than for killing someone by careless driving) was a 15 year old girl who'd harmed no-one. Almost immediately after the passing of Skyes law in NSW midst major publicity a non deterred runner killed a young family of 3 including their baby and him self in a hheaf on collision.

All of Goffs ideas lack an evidence base and none of those based on best global practice and evidence have been included in his master plan. It is a masterplan for more death and destruction, no less. The first person Goff should be hand cuffing is his ex Minister George Hawkins; it was he who signed off on the quota setting software that has resulted in Police scavenging for tickets and higher contact with motorists and flight incidences, to produce absolutely no safety benefit.

Thanks to an unrepentant Labour, and Hawkins pursuing idiot road safety policies with a fervour, we now lead in OECD youth tolls and carry the highest fatality risk per kilometre travelled. Candor asks Mr Goff to please stop trying to influence a malevolent influence on road safety. Telling the Police what they want to hear instead of showing leadership and engaging the brain is not kosha, not when young lives are at risk.

Prime expert advised initiatives to reduce chases and deaths to pre 2003 levels (1-2 related deaths not 17 as today) that Goff has evaded would include; tightening chase criteria to prohibit chases over traffic offences as in Queensland and safety valuing countries (75% of pursuit deaths follow trivial matters per the IPCA), cut highway Police hours by 50% back to pre 2003 quota system rollout levels to reduce non constructive conflict and harrying.

Finally any serious safety contenders would legislate for random drug tests at checkpoints (45% of pursuit injuries involve suspected impaired driving), and stop enforcing cannabis prohibition which causes people to bolt while cops scratch heads, but do not decriminalise using commercial models.

Further info
http://preventinsanechasekillinggroup.yolasite.com/

ENDS

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